Movie Review - Grand Torino

I did a few movie reviews last year for the local paper, and you know what? I'm glad this wasn't one of them.

On the surface, Gran Torino is very entertaining. But on other levels, such as the technical and artistic, it's...well, I don't want to say BAD - but is it?

Here's what I really liked:
1. Clint Eastwood's character Walt. He's a scathingly acidic, salty, puckered Korean war vet that almost immediately gets you firmly on his side. You want to see how he handles every new situation. You can't wait for the next bit of nonsense to pop out of his mouth. You silently cheer as he utterly outclasses the neighborhood gangs at their own strong-arm game. It's fun.

2. The pacing and humor. This thing never drags. Especially for a film with seemingly serious things to say, it's surprising that the entertainment factor is so high. A lot of stuff to laugh at. Quite a bit of simmering suspense. A not-TOO predictable finish (or maybe I was just slow on this one - it's really kind of an either-or...)

3. The language. Often in R-rated movies, the f-bombs are way over-represented in board meetings and underrepresented out on the street. Here, it feels very natural. When the gang cars pull up next to each other it's f-everything, while Walt has his own brand of grizzled veteran speak. And we don't get that stupid cheap laugh where the old Korean lady spits out something shockingly unsavory.

And what I didn't like...ok, that's not going to work because I really "liked" the whole thing. That's the problem this movie presents - there was no point during viewing where I could say "alright, this is a problem."

Oh, I guess there was one thing: When particularly agitated, Walt sort of growls. Yes. Like a dog. That's a little too much, and actually cheapens what ought to be a fantastically menacing (and silent) sneer.

Anyway, minor quibbles. The main thing is this: I can't really praise the themes. There's nothing eye-opening, nothing that really makes you examine things. I came out of the movie feeling that I had been uniquely entertained, but not that I had to do any serious pondering. The old-man-finding-personal-redemption theme, the race theme - there was nothing new in them, nothing shocking or even unnerving. No tough compromises. No tragic flaws.

There was nothing to hook the characters and plot to the themes in some non-trivial way and thus create a work greater than just the sum of its parts.

So how about a rating? In theory, I'm rather against distilling things down into simple number grades, but in practice...it's the best part! Gran Torino: a strange mix. A story that in itself delivers a pretty visceral blow, coupled with intended themes that make hardly any impact at all.

*** (out of 4). Because I really did enjoy watching it.