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Special Features
- The Eastwood Way: Exploring the actor/director's filmmaking process up close
- Manning the Wheel: The meaning of manhood as reflected in American car culture
- Gran Torino: More Than a Car: Visit Detroit and the Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual vintage-car event
- BD-Live
Editorial Reviews
A disgruntled Korean War vet, Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Some have criticized "Gran Torino" as being too simple, cliched and hurt by the performances of the film's first-time actors.
But this is one of those rare movies that's bigger than the sum of its parts. In recent years, I have yet to see a film that managed to get both men and women to cry. And that it would provoke such strong emotions is not evident until the last act.
It may seem simple and cliched on the surface, and while I knew that Clint Eastwood's character Walt would eventually warm up to his Hmong neighbors, I didn't expect that the movie would also have me, a guy who doesn't cry at movies, wiping my eyes. And not just once, but the three other times I saw the film at the theater. And I heard other people crying at every viewing.
Each time I viewed it, it was just as powerful, if not more.
Walt is an old, bitter racist, who just about hates everyone, including the young pastor who visits him regularly at the request of Walt's late wife, and his own children and their families.
On paper, the story seems simple, but its power is hard to deny. It's part drama, part comedy, part tale of one man's racist surface, but as the credits roll, you realize that the power of the movie, the emotional buttons it pushes, make this a movie that rises above the acting, above its direction, above its script, to make something deeper and emotionally touching than most would have expected.
There are subtle touches and small scenes that any other director would not have folded into the film. And they do go by like a breeze for the most part. They'll have you laughing, smiling or shaking your head.
And it's good that Eastwood's character does not make a complete (and unrealistic) 360 degree turn, as you see in most American movies.
And given what Eastwood has delivered in most of his movies, most notably as Dirty Harry and his various Westerns, you expect a big showdown to come, and that showdown does come, but not with the ending you expect.
Eastwood has made powerful movies before, but this one really seemed to touch the core of many people, across many age groups, and racial/ethnic designations.
On a side note, Eastwood has also done what so many Hollywood studios and filmmakers choose not to do, which is portray Asian-Americans as regular, everyday people, living in America. That's no small feat, as most Hollywood studios go out of their way to not cast Asian-Americans and not show the lives of Asian-Americans. They rather change the race of the characters, even when they're basing a movie on a real-life story about Asian-American people, or offer easy, ignorant stereotypes.
Eastwood only deserves credit, because it's something that should have been done decades ago.
And while this movie may not get much kudos from the snobby critics in the big film world, it has a emotional pull that even some recent Eastwood movies don't have.
It may not have won any big awards, but it's a movie I plan on watching for years to come.
But this is one of those rare movies that's bigger than the sum of its parts. In recent years, I have yet to see a film that managed to get both men and women to cry. And that it would provoke such strong emotions is not evident until the last act.
It may seem simple and cliched on the surface, and while I knew that Clint Eastwood's character Walt would eventually warm up to his Hmong neighbors, I didn't expect that the movie would also have me, a guy who doesn't cry at movies, wiping my eyes. And not just once, but the three other times I saw the film at the theater. And I heard other people crying at every viewing.
Each time I viewed it, it was just as powerful, if not more.
Walt is an old, bitter racist, who just about hates everyone, including the young pastor who visits him regularly at the request of Walt's late wife, and his own children and their families.
On paper, the story seems simple, but its power is hard to deny. It's part drama, part comedy, part tale of one man's racist surface, but as the credits roll, you realize that the power of the movie, the emotional buttons it pushes, make this a movie that rises above the acting, above its direction, above its script, to make something deeper and emotionally touching than most would have expected.
There are subtle touches and small scenes that any other director would not have folded into the film. And they do go by like a breeze for the most part. They'll have you laughing, smiling or shaking your head.
And it's good that Eastwood's character does not make a complete (and unrealistic) 360 degree turn, as you see in most American movies.
And given what Eastwood has delivered in most of his movies, most notably as Dirty Harry and his various Westerns, you expect a big showdown to come, and that showdown does come, but not with the ending you expect.
Eastwood has made powerful movies before, but this one really seemed to touch the core of many people, across many age groups, and racial/ethnic designations.
On a side note, Eastwood has also done what so many Hollywood studios and filmmakers choose not to do, which is portray Asian-Americans as regular, everyday people, living in America. That's no small feat, as most Hollywood studios go out of their way to not cast Asian-Americans and not show the lives of Asian-Americans. They rather change the race of the characters, even when they're basing a movie on a real-life story about Asian-American people, or offer easy, ignorant stereotypes.
Eastwood only deserves credit, because it's something that should have been done decades ago.
And while this movie may not get much kudos from the snobby critics in the big film world, it has a emotional pull that even some recent Eastwood movies don't have.
It may not have won any big awards, but it's a movie I plan on watching for years to come.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
With 175 reviews to read you probably won't get around to reading mine. But Gran Torino may just be Clint Eastwood's finest acting, and it certainly one of the best films he's directed. It's both iconic - building on Dirty Harry and Unforgiven - and subtle. As an actor friend of mine once said back in the late 1970's about Clint: "He's got one look. But boy, is it a good look."
Gran Torino is the embodiment of that statement. When Clint levels his rifle at the scum, and says he could blow their heads off, go in, and sleep like a baby, he's probably the only man on earth you'd believe saying something like that. His eyes, his carriage, his intensity.
Underneath that patented Dirty Harry glare is a performance of such subtlety, minute inflections, and being it's virtuoso. He's like a worn out pair of jeans, a well-oiled and used baseball mitt. Clint Eastwood uses his entire body of work as a back drop to this performance, and builds on it to take us along for the ride.
I'm not going to share the plot as others have so far. It's a film about values and tradition. About accountability. Doing the right thing - up to and including making sure his old dog is taken care of. What's masterful about the film is that he takes what could have been a caricature in the hands of another actor and director and makes it believable.
Much has been made of his racist language. At first it's jarring. It's so all encompasing and over the top in the beginning of the film you can't help but concentrate on it. But he takes it from Archie Bunker territory with character development and plot arc to the point where you no longer actually hear the stupid words. You are too focused on the man's character and who he really is. A real racist would never have entered his neighbor's home, and certainly wouldn't have eaten their food. The reviewer who said he's racist because he doesn't know any other way to be is spot-on.
The Hmong cast is outstanding. I especially loved the interaction between Walt and Grandma - two peas in a pod. Bee Vang as Tow was solid as the boy who becomes a man. Ahney Her as Sue is the driver of the changes in Walt. If she couldn't hold her own with Clint the film wouldn't have worked. She does, and in the bargain, Gran Torino is a very satisfying, impressive film.
Like Gran Torinos, and Clint Eastwood, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
Gran Torino is the embodiment of that statement. When Clint levels his rifle at the scum, and says he could blow their heads off, go in, and sleep like a baby, he's probably the only man on earth you'd believe saying something like that. His eyes, his carriage, his intensity.
Underneath that patented Dirty Harry glare is a performance of such subtlety, minute inflections, and being it's virtuoso. He's like a worn out pair of jeans, a well-oiled and used baseball mitt. Clint Eastwood uses his entire body of work as a back drop to this performance, and builds on it to take us along for the ride.
I'm not going to share the plot as others have so far. It's a film about values and tradition. About accountability. Doing the right thing - up to and including making sure his old dog is taken care of. What's masterful about the film is that he takes what could have been a caricature in the hands of another actor and director and makes it believable.
Much has been made of his racist language. At first it's jarring. It's so all encompasing and over the top in the beginning of the film you can't help but concentrate on it. But he takes it from Archie Bunker territory with character development and plot arc to the point where you no longer actually hear the stupid words. You are too focused on the man's character and who he really is. A real racist would never have entered his neighbor's home, and certainly wouldn't have eaten their food. The reviewer who said he's racist because he doesn't know any other way to be is spot-on.
The Hmong cast is outstanding. I especially loved the interaction between Walt and Grandma - two peas in a pod. Bee Vang as Tow was solid as the boy who becomes a man. Ahney Her as Sue is the driver of the changes in Walt. If she couldn't hold her own with Clint the film wouldn't have worked. She does, and in the bargain, Gran Torino is a very satisfying, impressive film.
Like Gran Torinos, and Clint Eastwood, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Academy went down yet another notch in my estimation for all but ignoring this masterpiece from the master, Clint Eastwood. Others here have described the rich plot. The group of unknown Vietnamese actors are PERFECTLY led by Clint Eastwood, as the silent, grouchy, proud, imperfect, highly principled American guy we all know--or wish we knew better. Gran Torino is poignant, at times funny, and inspirational. It could be Clint Eastwood's career best, Dirty Harry come full urban-American circle. Shame on you, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. You goofed by ignoring a lot of classics we all love now, and you goofed on this, big time. (And they wonder why ratings for the Oscar show continue to dive, year after year.)
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of Eastwoods best!
You know those movies that are even better the second time you see them? This is one of them. The first half of the movie seemed gratuitous and shallow, but as the story... Read more
Published 4 hours ago by Bill
Life today
I've always enjoyed any movie that Clint Eastwood has appeared in. This one is definitely one of my favorites. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Larry R Cook
Gran Torino on Blu Ray
I love this film and ,when seeing it in the theater, it was nothing like I expected and everything I hoped for. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Steve Douglas
Classic Eastwood
This is one of the best movies in this past decade and could not believe it was being offered at the price it was. definitely recommend this to anyone who loves action movies
Published 1 month ago by Chris7
Eastwood's Best Work is his Least-PC Work
One of Clint Eastwood's BEST films, and his least politically-correct (PC) film. I think there's a correlation. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Ridgway
Gran Torino
Great movie. My husband and I both liked it really well. Lots of action and keeps your attention.
Published 2 months ago by marcysmadhouse
Gran Torino
(spoilers in this review)Gran Torino is a movie about a racist Korean War veteran named Walt Kowalski played by Clint Eastwood. In movie opens and closes with a funeral. Read more
Published 2 months ago by cmm55855
GOOD MOVIE
good movie we enjoyed it there really is not much to say about this movie that all the other reviewers have not already said will watch it again.
Published 2 months ago by J. Gregg
Packs a powerful emotional punch
"Gran Torino" is a remarkable film that is difficult to characterize. Clint Eastwood plays an aging Korean War veteran who, after seeing combat in Korea, worked on the Ford... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Roger J. Buffington
Get off my lawn!
Gran Torino (2008)
Drama, 116 minutes
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang and Ahney Her
Gran Torino was a... Read more
Drama, 116 minutes
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang and Ahney Her
Gran Torino was a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Steven Aldersley
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