harry Wrote:
I didn't mind the fact that there were still thugs around to arrest.... (the character might have called in advance, the house might have been watched) but rather we were to believe that all the Hmong neighbors would testify againt the thugs now, but before when they brutialized the young girl all the Hmong community wouldn't talk to the cops... why suddenly were they willing to work with the authorities. The plot was weak... the colors were primary... but in general it was better than I expected.
I finally saw this last night and thought it was pretty great. I agree with most of what harry has said but I think I liked it more than him.
I think if you're letting the fact that the gang members didn't scatter after the shooting then you're missing the point.
I read a decent review comparing Eastwood's character to John Wayne's "Ethan" in The Searchers. Both are war vets with tons of hate in their heart and are massive racists. Ethan with the Comanche's and Walt with everyone. But, both come to find salvation in the people they try to help/save in the end. Although I think Gran Torino wraps things up a bit too tidy and John Ford gives us a much more ambiguous ending in The Searchers, I thought it was an interesting comparison.
I thought Eastwood was great and found myself laughing at his open racism and constant insults throughout the whole movie. His was easily the best performance. Everyone else was either decent or pretty bad. Thao, for instance, was terrible and the preacher was okay but up against Eastwood he looked like an amatuer.
Still, solid movie. Question though, did you have sympathy for Walt at the end? Does one good deed erase a lifetime of being a complete piece of shit?
