Reviews Film / Gran Torino

Doesn't do much wrong

There really aren't many missteps in Gran Torino. Everything is interesting, moves at a reasonable, every scene feels understandable and has a purpose. There is Acting! but it's not drawn out and feels like a natural part of the scene. It moves solidly through it's plot culminating in the right ending from the film and everything feels believable. It turns out Clint Eastwood is pretty good at being an old man.

If there is any criticism to be had apparently some Hmong people didn't feel like they were being portrayed fairly, although they are still one of the main positive forces of the film and there was a scene on talking like a man which I felt a bit cringey although I'm really not in a position to judge if that's how people really talk to each other.

Perhaps in the end it's a little too nice. It's easy to like the idea of being the intelligent but awkward kid who has a man magically walk into his life and sort out all of his problems for him, or the grumpy old man whose rough on the outside but has a heart of gold and everyone loves him really. Or the smart young girl determined not to be alienated by her culture and putting on a brave face and reaching out to the old man people ignore, or the religious man who everyone brushes off but really does care and says things with a wisdom that changes who a person is. But then wish-fufillment is a major part of fiction and it's very hard to find a work that doesn't have it *

. This certainly isn't an exceptional case and it's really only a thing because there are so few problems with it. It's even recognised that in some form there has to be a price.

So yeah, I can't imagine why most people wouldn't enjoy this. If you get the chance, might as well check it out