Nothing antiquated about this 'Gran Torino'
"Gran Torino" Clint Eastwood directs and stars in a drama that reminds me a bit of the 1983 White Sox - it wins ugly. Sure, the film is hobbled by some unconvincing characters and clunky lines of dialogue, but when it's over "Gran Torino" stands as one of the most entertaining and compelling films of 2008.
Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a cranky Korean War vet who's one of the last old-school holdouts in a changing Detroit neighborhood. One day, local gangbangers force a young boy to steal Walt's beloved 1972 Gran Torino from the garage. Walt stops the heist and stands up to the thugs, which makes him a hero to his immigrant neighbors - people he's never particularly cared for - and an enemy to the sneering youths in the gang.
"Gran Torino" works on two levels. First, it's a character study about a man who has let his pain and prejudices cut him off from the people closest to him. Second, it's a commentary on Eastwood's Dirty Harry/Man With No Name film past. Eastwood gives one of his best performances as the growling, scowling Walt, a character he seems born to play. Eastwood also continues to show a sure hand behind the camera. Nick Schenk's script is a mixed bag. Some of the dialogue sings, while other parts groan under the weight of Hollywood contrivances. (The most unfortunate example is a priest character who has lots of screen time but isn't given a single convincing thing to say.) Flaws and all, I loved this movie, and I remain awed by the vitality that Eastwood continues to bring to the film medium.
The DVD is a disappointment, as it includes just two forgettable featurettes about the influence of cars on American (and Hollywood) culture. The Blu-ray adds a making-of featurette called "The Eastwood Way" - this couldn't have been included on the standard edition? (R; Warner Home Video, $27.95 or $34.99 for Blu-ray)
"The International" Here is a moody, entertaining thriller that offers a nice antidote to the bombastic blockbusters crowding movie screens this summer. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play a couple of investigators - he's from INTERPOL, she's a New York district attorney - trying to expose a multinational bank's ties to organized crime and international terrorism. Director Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") keeps things moving briskly and delivers a spectacular set piece in New York's Guggenheim Museum that would make Hitchcock applaud. Owen and Watts are solid, but their characters are underwritten, which robs the movie (particularly the ending) of some dramatic impact. Still, I found myself drawn into the paranoid world of "The International." The DVD is a nice package, with a commentary from Tykwer and writer Eric Singer, a better-than-average making-of featurette and more. The Blu-ray adds a digital copy of the film and additional Tykwer interviews. (R; Sony, $24.94 and $39.95 for Blu-ray)
Also out this week "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music" director's cut (Warner); "The Shield: Season Seven - The Final Act" (Fox); "Crossing Over" (Genius Products); "The Reaper: Season Two" (Lionsgate).