dimanche 15 mars 2009

Like wine, he only gets better with age

If you haven’t seen Gran Torino yet, I strongly advise (and Red Addict will heartily agree) that you run and do so. Now. Clint Eastwood who wrote and directed this movie has done a masterful job.
It starts out simply enough. Eastwood is the curmudgeonly Walt Kowalski who has just lost his wife. He can’t stand his kids or grandkids and is on top of that a mean old racist. He also has a family of Hmong’s living right next to him. The Hmongs as Sue explains to Walt are people living in China, Thailand and Laos who were obliged to migrate to US after the Vietnam war to avoid retaliation from the victorious Viets because they fought with the Americans. All of which are less interesting to Walt except that Thao his Hmong neighbor tries to steal his prized Gran Torino as part of his gang initiation. This rather rocky start between Thao and his family and Walt gradually evolves into an unexpectedly moving friendship. When tragedy strikes the family, Walt offers them the immeasurable and ultimate gift of friendship.

There’s so much to admire about this movie. I could go on hours about the way Eastwood has crafted a tender and moving story about what a beautiful thing could happen when a person lets down, even just a little, his own prejudices to reach out to another. Better yet I could tell you that Eastwood’s performance here is restrained yet all the more powerful and believable for such restraint. And in this world full of change it takes on the big question of integration and what it means to make a family in a wise and humorous way. Perhaps the most welcome surprise is the way Eastwood has come almost full circle as an actor but more importantly as a storyteller. Dirty Harry is still around but Walt Kowalski does something unthinkable braver than what Dirty Harry has ever done.

3 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

God, that was quick! so red addict does agree and couldn't have said any better. I am just started to think that i am a Clint Eastwood addict, and since i have already a lot of addictions, that could be a problem!

anyway, how come is it that clint eastwood makes a movie per year, but each year it seems as good as the year before but on a total different register?

How can he make at the same time a hilarious AND heart-breaking movie???

Ok, next step, rent or buy all his movies, and then off to carmel.

Anonyme a dit…

And dont you just love the way he takes on all these different themes and ideas and somehow come up with a cohesive and whole?
What are the odds he's going to read this and come to Paris?!

Anonyme a dit…

well the odds he comes to paris are not so small, the ones he reads this pretty thin....