Gran Torino

I have always been a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, from the spaghetti westerns to Dirty Harry, I have seen a lot of him over the years. I have also enjoyed Bird and the WWII movies he directed. In Gran Torino, Eastwood stars, directs and produces, which is impressive for a 79 year-old. But this is no regular 79 year-old, this is Clint Eastwood, still intimidating and still captivating.

In Gran Torino, Eastwood plays a recently widowed senior, Walt Kowalski , who speaks his mind no matter who he offends, and growls under his breath whenever he disagrees with you. He would be part of the "greatest generation," except they are mostly gone now, so he is a Korean War vet. He does not get along with his two sons or their families and sees them as trying to get rid of him so they can sell the house and make some money. Speaking of houses, Walt has lived in the same one his entire life despite the fact that the neighborhood has transformed from a white middle-class neighborhood to an immigrant neighborhood. He is one of the last holdouts in an area the rest of his family would prefer not to visit any more, and he does not get along with the neighbors. That is until Walt saves the neighbor's son, Thao, from getting a beating by a Vietnamese gang. This incident sparks the neighbors to get to know each other and shower Walt with (unwanted) gifts. Walt reluctantly takes Thao under his wing as the tension builds with the local gang.

From the start you know this is not going to end well, but the tension and the relationship between Walt and the neighbors, specifically Thao's sister (Ahney Her), keep you riveted. If you missed this one in the theaters, it's time to rent the DVD.