Saw 'Gran Torino'.......

[FAST FRED]

......and liked it.

I enjoy Clint Eastwood as an actor and a director.

I think this story was worthy of a movie and this movie is worthy of a viewing.

It's not what you (or I) would expect it to be after seeing the preview.

There's more to it than vigilante justice.

It has as much comedy as tragedy and as much insight as action.

I recommend it as a worthwhile movie for most viewers and I believe it will garner some Academy Award attention for Clint.

Almost all moviegoers will relate to the events portrayed here in some way, with Clint Eastwood fans near to or familiar with relatives in his age group, I think, liking it the very most.

 

[Ft Riley Horn]

I NEVER go see movies. But this kinda looks like its something I want to see.

For reference, the last movie I saw in the theaters was Beerfest, and it was as glorious as I thought it would be.

 

[FAST FRED]

Eastwood drinks a lot of beer in this flick.

 

[wolfman]

I liked it. It oved kind of slow at times but it never got boring.

 

[Joe Fan]

Saw it yesterday.
Liked it alot.
You can tell there are amateur actors in it, but that aspect adds more than it subtracts (and they are much more enjoyable to watch than Oscar wieners Cher or Sean Penn).
Clint for the Heisman.

 

[FAST FRED]

I agree, Joe Fan.

I thought the two main kids were OK.

I thought his acting was as good, for example, as that of a very young Brandon De Wilde in "Shane."

And her performance here was as appropriate for her particular character, IMHO, as Natalie Portman was for her role in "The Professional."

Natalie and Brandon were supposed supposed to be cute kids in those movies, lovable and tough but emotional.

The two in "Gran Torino" were supposed to be foreign, more reserved and initially inscrutable.

Racial stereotyping, probably, but believable casting for me.

They all started out unsure of their new role models and and ended up shedding tears for them.

The gang members in "Gran Torino" all seemed more challenged as thespians to me, although I wouldn't expect street thugs to be as thoughtful, charismatic, eloquent and engaging as the multi-faceted almost poetic punks that populated Baltimore's ghetto were portrayed in "The Wire."

Those memorable characters, Omar, D'Angelo, Stringer Bell, Wee-Bey, Snoop and Bodie, had great scenes and dialog to work with and such character development as that would have humanized the villains in this movie beyond the level needed in this story.

The gang members certainly got being young, barely confident, intellectually challenged pack runners across well enough, however none of them probably has a future as a multifaceted, evil-personified James Bond villain.

I thought they played stupid and unlikable OK.

But, for sure, Clint gets the only nomination from this flick as best actor.

I look at it this way: Clint plays Clint better than Daniel Day-Lewis ever would or could and everyone else played whatever Clint cast and directed them to play.