DISQUS

jesselun · 11 months ago

I think this was one of the worst movies ever. Do we really need a morals lesson here? It was an After School Special with guns...lame

MC_Snocap · 11 months ago

Couldn't stand this movie either - and everybody else loves it. Which is cool, don't want to deny other people their enjoyment ... but you're not alone, jesselun.

remarkablyadept · 11 months ago

While I enjoyed the movie, I have to take issue with the reviewer's assertion that the acting employed by the Hmong actors does not distract from the overall flow of the movie. While most are first-timers, and I certainly don't expect anyone to come close to the caliber of their lead/director, I felt the only actor giving more than a tentative swipe at believability was the ancient matriarch/Walt's mirror who sat on the porch, spat, and launched just as much bile towards her neighbor as Walt did. The rest of the Hmong actors are laughable in their line delivery and never once approach a sense of comfort with the script. All that exposition about the Hmong people and culture? I half expected to hear a beep at the end of each line telling me to advance the filmstrip.

Now, I enjoyed "Gran Torino" almost in spite of itself, so perhaps I'm splitting hairs here, but the film has many flaws. What's remarkable is that Eastwood made all of that secondary to his performance. I really didn't care about the cliches and predictable storyline, but I did care about Walt, his transformation, and those around him.