Movie Review: Gran Torino

Considering that Clint Eastwood's most iconic roles have been serious ones, it's easy to forget that he can be funny - that he possesses terrific timing with his sly sense of humor.

He grumbles and growls his way through his most entertaining performance in years in "Gran Torino" as Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran and lifelong auto worker who is disgusted with the changes in his blue-collar, suburban Detroit neighborhood.

There are unshakable shades of Dirty Harry here, as well as Frankie Dunn, the curmudgeonly character he played in 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," his most recent screen appearance. At 78, Eastwood combines both the tough and playful sides of his personality - in front of and behind the camera as star and director - with "Gran Torino," which begins in broadly entertaining fashion but ultimately reveals that it has weightier matters on its mind.

Having just buried his saintly wife, all the retired Walt wants to do is be left alone with his dog, his guns and his beer. His grown sons suggest that perhaps he'd be happier living in a nursing home, and the local Catholic priest comes by, sensing that Walt might need to unburden himself and urging him to give a long overdue confession. He blows them all off repeatedly.

As a sharp-tongued bigot, he certainly doesn't want to be bothered by the growing Asian population all around him, and especially not the Hmong family living next door. Despite hurling every imaginable epithet at these people, Walt can't seem to avoid them.

First, he catches shy Thao (Bee Vang) trying to steal his 1972 Ford Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation he's forced into by his cousin. Then, cultural tradition dictates Thao must make up for the transgression by working for Walt for free. (This is an excuse for Walt to force the boy into doing chores around the house in some of the movie's more amusing scenes.)

But the old man also finds an unexpected connection with Thao's sister, Sue (Ahney Her), who shares his blunt-talking attitude. And when he orders gang members at gunpoint to "Get off my lawn" - with echoes of Eastwood's classic "Go ahead, make my day," - he's perceived as a vigilante hero among the Hmong community.

Sure, the premise is predictable. You know from the beginning that Walt's contact with his neighbors will soften him. But "Gran Torino" becomes more intriguing as the journey it takes us on evolves and grows darker, albeit with Eastwood's trademark, no-nonsense aesthetic.

MOVIE REVIEW

Gran Torino **½

MOVIE BOARD RATING: R; profanity throughout and some violence

STARS: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her

DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood

LOCATION: See movie times, Page XX, for local showtimes.

PLOT SUMMARY: Eastwood portrays a blunt, grumpy old widower who struggles to get along with the kids who live in his neighborhood.

RUNNING TIME: 116 minutes

ON THE WEB: www.thegrantorino.com