Gran Torino

There's a lot to unpack about <em>'Gran Torino'</em>, probably way more than I could offer an opinion on. I fully acknowledge the talk about this film's potential impact on the world, namely for Hmong Americans (see: Bee Vang's <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-19-era-s-anti-asian-racism-isn-t-new-ncna1258184" rel="nofollow">op-ed</a>), and I'm not saying it's perfect one bit...

Clint Eastwood is a good director. I've seen ten of his films, one of them being “Play Misty for Me.” A film that I think is incredible. But like any director, Clint’s films can vary in quality. In the case of “Gran Torino,” it's a good film, but probably not one I'm going to rewatch very much. Clint Eastwood and Bee Vang put in great performances. Walt, played by Clint Eastwood, is a tough charac...

It's curious that the main English language awards largely ignored this, yet it won both a David and a César in Europe and is definately one of Clint Eastwood's more characterful efforts. He is the curmudgeonly "Walt" who has recently lost his wife, has an arms-length relationship with his son and looks disapprovingly as his neighbourhood ceases to be the home of "Americans"! His prize possession ...