In your average story, is it important to like the hero? I'd say a good story requires you to root for the hero, but must they be likable?Gran Torino is Clint Eastwood's latest about an extremely racist vet living with Korean neighbors. Now grumpy old men have long held a high place in cinema. When on the side of the hero, they are usually very popular characters. After The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson was going to tone down Gandalf's grumpiness until their screen tests showed audiences loved him. He got grumpier in the sequels.
Eastwood pushes his grumpy old man character to the edge of acceptability. His character has no relationship with his family, generally hates people, and is racist to the core.
Yet despite all those flaws, I (and everyone else in the theater) still saw him as a good man. It made me wonder how many character flaws a hero can have and still be "good."
The movie is not perfect, though. The acting is a little uneven at points when it needs to be strong. Most of the performances are great, so those weak scenes don't affect the impact of the story. The ending is also very satisfying.
I've heard some pretty strong reactions from friends who have seen this. If you have, please let me know what you thought of it.
Grade: B+
1 Comment:
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January 28, 2009 at 1:35 PM
I thought Torino was great and a good last film for Eastwood. He has said this will likely be his last acting role. And I am rather bummed he didn't get at least a nod from the academy for the acting...but what do they know? They think "Button" is the bomb, when it was only average.
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