Surprising

I was very surprised with this latest from Clint Eastwood. Slumdog Millionaire may have won for Best Picture at the Oscars this year, but if I had watched this beforehand I would have easily thought Gran Torino had a shot.

Although it seems this was a role perfectly suited for Eastwood as his frown seems permanently etched on his face, the performances of nearly everyone in this film were believable and moving. Bee Vang was exceptionally humorous and was able to create a space for himself in the movie instead of just being dwarfed by Eastwood's talent.

About the only problem I had with this film was Father Janovich, played by Christopher Carley. He may not have been given a lot to work with, but I found myself dreading scenes with him as Sue Lor and Bee Vang's scenes were much more memorable. Additionally, Kowalski's (Eastwood's) family were portrayed as one-dimensional, self-centered greedy individuals without any nuance of depth that could have given those actors more to work with as well.

Overall, I'd easily recommend this movie to anyone who wants to feel less ashamed of the horrible drought of quality films in 2008.

8/10