GRAN TORINO (2008) (***1/2)

When I first saw the trailer for this Clint Eastwood film, I thought it looked like an old DIRTY HARRY revenge rehash. But I held out faith that marketers go for the widest audience and Eastwood goes for art. I was right to put my faith in Eastwood. While not one of his very best, it is one of his most entertaining and touching.

Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) gives the term crusty old man a new degree of crunchy edges. His wife has died and he can barely force out a grunt at his kids and spoiled grandkids. He's a man of a different era and doesn't seem to fit into the modern world. His neighborhood in Detroit is now filled with Hmong immigrants, who he refers to in some colorful language. One night, a disagreement between the next-door neighbor boy Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang) and some gang members spills over into his yard. He comes out with a rifle and says the already classic line, "Get off my lawn."

This action endears him to his neighbors. Thao's sister Sue (Ahney Her) likes Walt's gruff, un-PC attitude and gives as much as she takes. Walt likes her for that. Because the gang forced Thao to try to steal Walt's prized Gran Torino, his mother forces the young man to make amends to Walt by working off his debt. This starts a mentorship between Walt and Thao, where the old man gets a chance to teach the shy boy his version of being a man.

Walt throws out every Asian name in the book repeatedly, but it's a nervous tick more so than overt disrespect. The closer he gets to Sue and Thao, the more he learns how much his worldview differs from the Hmong. Many things that he views as rude are just cultural differences between him and them. You can't teach this old dog new tricks, but you can win him over.

Eastwood gives one of his best performances. He makes Walt Kowalski iconic and yet very human. This is a man who has lived and suffers quietly inside. He just wants to be respected for his experience, instead of being treated like a helpless old man like his family treats him.

The friendship that Walt and Thao form is touching and often funny. Eastwood knows very well how to balance between tones as far off as humor and tragedy. He handles the shifts in Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson's story with the skill of a master filmmaker. The ending seems inevitable, but Eastwood sets up all the pieces so well that we come to accept it. And then he finds a way to surprise us. Take note to how the beginning parties at the Kowalski's and the Lor's are different. Family and friendship aren't always easy. But then dealing with Walt isn't easy either.