Movie #218: Gran Torino

Movie #: 218
Movie Title: Gran Torino
Year Released: 2008

Director: Clint Eastwood
Notable Cast: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley

Short Description: Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #84
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 5/22/2013

What I Liked: In a way, I could relate to Clint Eastwood’s character, Walt. Don’t get me wrong, I hope I’m never that crotchety and mean-spirited, but aspects of his character, both good and bad, are things I can relate to. That feeling makes this movie truly special in my eyes. The ability to not only understand a character but to feel a connection is powerful. His gradual evolution into a caring soul was handled spectacularly, culminating in his redemption of character through sacrifice in the end.

What I Disliked: A minor note was that at times Eastwood’s speech was difficult to understand because of his gravely tone, but it wasn’t often.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
Rationale: With a fantastic story and great depth in its characters, this is one of my new personal favorites and the best movie I’ve seen to date on my list of 251.