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I know it is unAmerican to admit it, especially in
public, but I have never cared for Elvis Presley, John Wayne and/or Clint
Eastwood and "Gran Torino" has not
changed my mind about the latter.
As a director he is responsible for two of the
worst performances I have seen on film in a long time: his and that of Bee Vang.
Why he has been nominated for best actor by so many award committees is beyond
my comprehension . He mumbles his way through this movie, shows only one
expression and seems in no way to be acting but just being Dirty Harry or The
Man With No Name as a doddering old man. It is said that he is retiring from
acting after this role and that is about a film too late.
Bee Vang does a very hammy, over emoting 'acting' job and seems to be doing
acting 101 without any subtlety. The director, Eastwood, doesn't give him any
guidance and lets him overplay moments that are uncalled for.
The film story by Nick Schenk doesn't over look any cliche. I bet
you know what it means when a lead actor in a film starts to cough and, yes,
spits up blood. I bet you don't have to be told what is going to happen to a
girl who smart mouths gang members. If a scene can be manipulated it
is.
While Eastwood does touch on the immigration topic
and how customs are carried over into the next generation the screenplay doesn't
go far enough into this aspect nor why so many immigrant teenage males become
part of a gang. The latter aspect was touched upon more deeply in just a few
sentences (and songs) in West Side Story than it is here in a film about a
gang.
Aside from being peers, and both still working as actors, directors and music
writers who are into jazz, Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen's icon status rests on
2 or 3 good films out of a large body of work that is forgettable though you
have to hand it to them to still be working in what is known as 'a young man's
business'.
This film, and his performance, certainly don't deserve the hype it is
getting and both are greatly overrated.
I have to say that I am not a huge fan of the guys you mention either, though I do like the Dirty Harry movies.
AJ