I’ve been noodling with a way to start this review for more than an hour. So rather than try to do something all clever, I’ll just put the lead right out front: Gran Torino is awesome. I’m a huge fan of Clint Eastwood – Unforgiven is my favorite movie of all time, and I’ve followed everything he’s directed and just about all of his work as an actor.
I’ll admit I was disappointed in last year’s Changeling. Between the key performances that degenerated into TV-movie histrionics and J. Michael Straczynski’s overly scripty script (If you are a screenwriter and actually put the following exchange into a screenplay, you need to change jobs immediately: “I have something I didn’t have before.” “What’s that?” “Hope.”) left the final product more than a little flat. But still, Clint Eastwood knows how to direct. He doesn’t rely on signature visual flourishes or overly clever tricks – he tells the story. As a director, Clint Eastwood is first and foremost a storyteller. His work can elevate a weak script, and yet, he doesn’t call attention to the directing. It seems like Clint just wants to let the script unfold, and does what he can to help that along. He’s an unselfish director.
