Gran Torino

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

Release Date: December 26th, 2008 (wide)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Cory Hardrict, Geraldine Hughes, Brian Haley

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Premise: Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possesion: his 1972 Gran Torino.

[Ghostboy]

Wow, that looks pretty bad. Still cool to see Clint growling, though.

[Alexandro]

why bad?

it looks like it could be fun.

[squints]

What the fuck is this? my god i'm confused, excited and disappointed...

is this a comedy? seriously. what's goin on here?

[cinemanarchist]

"Get offfffff myyyyy lawwwwwn?!?!?!"

I'm sold.

[Gold Trumpet]

It could go either way. The story reaks of his Dirty Harry persona, but he proved with Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima that when you revisit a timely subject that you need to add a lot more to it to make it meaningful. Parts of the trailer showed that this could be an honest reflection film for him on a legendary character of his. If so, I hope it's interesting, but if it's just a simplistic retooling like Million Dollar Baby was, then I'm not too hopeful.

[last days of gerry the elephant]

Even from just the poster you can tell how bland this thing is.

[squints]

[matt35mm]

Oooh, almost.

[Stefen]

is this a comedy?

Yes. And a damn good one at that.

Clint plays a guy named Walt Kowlaski. A red, white and blue blooded patriotic American who fought in the Korean war and thus, is a big time racist. But underneath that tough man facade, he's got a heart of gold (obviously). It's also obvious he fought in the Korean war because anytime any of the Koreans from the neighborhood try and have any contact with him he reminds them that, "In Korea, I had your kind stacked 10 high!"

About the only time he leaves his porch is when he runs out of Pabst Blue Ribbon. One hilarious scene has him going over to his neighbors since they're having a family get together and have lots of beer. At one point he finds himself at a table surrounded by older Korean women feeding him tons of food, which elicits a response of something like (paraphrasing) "If I knew you Gooks cooked like this, I'd be alot nicer to you!"

HILARIOUS.

Some other comedic highlights for me was how the minorities around his neighborhood not only don't get offended by his racism, but they almost take it as a term of endearment.

Case in point: Walt saves his next door neighbor, some 13 or 14 year old kid from his cousins Korean street gang trying to openly recruit him (yes, in this movie, gangs openly recruit for new members) by pointing a gun at them and telling them, "GET OF MY LAWN!" of course they oblige because Korean street gangs are all talk. Anyways, he's now the hero of the neighborhood and all the Koreans bring him flowers and food to which he accepts by saying, "You damn gooks! Just leave me alone! Oh, is that apple pie? Okay, put it on the table you fucking chink."

His racist outbursts are usually met from his neighbors with a, "Oh, Walt. You're so silly! hehe."

HILARIOUS.

The gangs are probably the funniest part. They're a mix between every gang banging Asian stereotype, and the Puerto Ricans in West-Side Story. They snap, but they don't dance. Also, they carry switchblades, but they think they're black so every word out of their mouth is something they heard in a rap song. Some of them have ponytails.

Gotta hand it to the screenwriter. Some of the racial slurs he came up with are sure to enter into my everyday lexicon of verbal ammo anytime I get cut off by an Asian driver.

I watched it for about an hour and fifteen minutes before I realized it wasn't a comedy. I'm sure by the end Walt's had a change of heart and some kind of redemption. You could see it coming from a mile away.

[Pozer]

sounds really gook.

[Pas]

if you can't enjoy this film because everything in it is totally unrealistic and cliché, you have autism. it's a kickass movie.

SoNowThen you're gonna like this one (it's a bit redneck-y)

[john]

if you can't enjoy this film because everything in it is totally unrealistic and cliché, you have autism. it's a kickass movie.

See, that's what I wanted to hear. My excitement of this film has been increasing every day.

I don't care if the characters are depicted with any sort of social relevancy or realism when the trailer looks so ridiculously enjoyable.

Actually they can be as stereotypically comedic as they want, so long as they're true to the tone of the film and the tone of this film looks like a real good time. A drive-in film in a multiplex generation. We'll see if any of this changes after I actually see it, though.

[Stefen]

if you can't enjoy this film because everything in it is totally unrealistic and cliché, you have autism.

Crash 2. Crash II.

The parts with Clint acting badass were good, though.

[Pas]

if you can't enjoy this film because everything in it is totally unrealistic and cliché, you have autism.

Crash 2. Crash II.

The parts with Clint acting badass were good, though.

you mean like, the whole movie ? There's hardly a scene he's not in. This one got quotes like :

-Go back in the house old man
-yeah I blow a hole in your face and THEN I go back in the house and sleep like a baby

or

ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have fucked with? *spits* That's me.

That's no Crash 2, that's Geriatric Dirty Harry or something