Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood became known to us first as The Man With No Name in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy". There's irony to the fact that he hardly spoke in the role and yet became so iconic. Which makes it really fitting that his final film role should be Walt Kowalski, an outspoken, racist, grouchy, rifle-toting old man. It's exactly that performance that makes Gran Torino a must-see movie, despite its evident flaws.

Eastwood has become one of the best, most consistent directors in the film industry, and continues to evolve even at 78. He is actually quite versatile. He can do Westerns, war flicks, boxing movies, period dramas, literally anything. But what Gran Torino goes to show is that the man can still act, perhaps better than he can direct. It's one of the best performances of 2008.

Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War vet/recent widower whose Detroit neighborhood is dominated by Hmongs and gangs. The local gangs pressure a young Hmong boy into attempting to steal Walt's '72 Gran Torino. When Walt retaliates, he takes the boy under his wing and protects his family from the gangs.

The script is top-notch. It may sound like a violent, somber movie, but it's actually quite funny. The problem, which is actually quite big, are the Hmong actors. Reportedly cast on the scene, they truly are not that good.

The young Hmong boy, who carries a large chunk of the film's emotional core, is simply not up to the plate. He talks too fast, mostly stares at the ground, and delivers half the lines in an odd tone. He gets some good jokes in, but it's a mediocre performance that needed to be great.

Gran Torino could be Clint Eastwood's last film as an actor, although he'll likely continue directing. Gran Torino ranks among his best performances, and despite mediocre performances otherwise, the script is excellent and the film will remain in your memory for a long time. A-