Eastwood's last performance?

So a first full on movie review on Reel Opinion is for Gran Torino - directed, produced and starring the legendary Clint Eastwood.

Word on the grapevine is that this maybe the last time Clint graces our screens and if so was this film a justifiable end to such an elusive career? Well I have to admit I had no idea what the film was about and had somehow eluded the trailer on the Apple website so I went in with little expectation other than a sterling performance from the once Dirty Harry.

I think the first most important point to consider is the name for the film - Gran Torino - a Ford Gran Torino an all-round nice car but possibly a strange name for Clint Eastwood film suggesting more Fast and the Furious than Million Dollar Baby. Fortunately this is not the case, the film is full of emotion (I am tempted to say a roller coaster of emotion but scared to fall into the review cliche) and Eastwood lives up to all the praise that this film has and will deserve.

Clint plays a widowed, war veteran still harbouring feelings of regret and hate conveyed through the terrifying trademark snarl and array of domestic weaponary. At the age of 79, the man is still able to have an audience ducking for cover when throwing a punch or laughing at the vast number of classic and very quotable lines from the movie. I cannot falter his performance and find it hard to think of another great actor who could portray such a demanding role that would even compare to the man with no name.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the support act of young Tao, whose acting is slightly more Fast and the Furious than Million Dollar Baby but nevertheless the relationship between the old racist and young Mung is very believable. I am not too sure we will be seeing him in the next Scorcese flick!

Overall the film is fantastic and a harsh reminder that we may never see Eastwood on the big screens again (at least not in front of the camera), but be warned if you take offence to racial banter this is not a film for you - go and see He's Just Not That Into You (or some other sh*t) instead.

IMDB gives it 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes gives it 77%
Reel Opinion gives it 9.1/10

Written by squaredmovie

Introducing Reel Opinions

So why blog...
I have only really ever read one blog so past experience or inspiration was definitely not the incentive to start this blog. In fact, this has actually been started due to obligation. I am a final year student at a University in England and part of my module coursework is to start a blog and then eventually write an essay on it. I know a lot of people blog about themselves and provide a diary of their personal life but realistically who cares, so I thought I would start writing movie reviews...
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