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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"Well acted and occasionally amusing, yet this latest pacifist romp by the man who was 'Dirty Harry' is basically a misfire." --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- "They Don't Want To Be Your Bro." One of many controversial scenes in this film is when a white guy walks in the path of a black gang, trying to act like he's their friend. Okay; so maybe it's annoying when a white dude thinks that all African Americans love rap music, love to be called "bro," and love to wear their baseball caps sideways. That doesn't mean that the gang should want to kick his butt, rape his girlfriend, and frankly, rape the white boy as well. Then Walt (Clint) arrives, offering his solution to every problem: point a loaded gun at the bad guys, making sure not to fire the gun. Walt then takes the boy's girlfriend to safety, leaving the bad ol' white boy to fend for himself. "They don't want to be your bro," says Walt, as he drives away. So violence isn't the answer...yet pointing guns is...as long as you don't fire? Furthermore: while it was important to save the girl in this situation, the white dude must PAY for his "heinous" crime of liking rap music and using the word "bro"...? It's just one of many signs of how decidedly off-center this movie's "message" is, presuming it even has one.
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Gran TorinoReview by TechtiteGran Torino is one of those films that proves that even if a film has a great director and actor, it has to be the right director and actor. There's nothing wrong with the directing or acting here, both done by Clint Eastwood. Yet you really wonder why the man who once gave us Unforgiven is now giving us a film like this: a decidedly passive aggressive spectacle, where a man loves holding guns, though hates using them. Is this formerly gritty action star seeking "forgiveness" for Unforgiven, and if so, why?We'll get to that last question a little later, as we cover the film's story. A curmudgeonly old man named Walt (Eastwood) has just come back from his wife's funeral. Sure he's depressed, moody, and bitter, though as we soon find out; he always was like that. We learn that on her death bed, his wife asked the pastor of their church to keep an eye on him and make sure he's okay. This is a good thing, because very few other people have Walt's best interest at heart, including, it would appear, Walt. Even his own family would just as soon send him into a nursing home so they no longer have to worry about him. The main story begins when Walt's neighbors get into some problems with the local street gang. It seems that the family's teenage boy is being "recruited" by the local Asian gang, against his wishes. There's a scuffle in their front yard and Walt, in typical Clint Eastwood style, points his shotgun at them and scares them away. He's suddenly the hero of the street (or at least the family next door), much to the chagrin of Walt, who'd prefer everyone left him alone. The rest of the story goes like this: something involving racial intolerance happens, while Walt groans and grimaces all the way. Many a critic might tell you this is a very politically correct film, if only because it never holds back its punches for any race. It takes potshots at the Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and in particularly, "whites." Some of the "messages" are minor, like the obligatory rant against violent street gangs. Yet some messages are a bit off kilter at best, or completely off the map at worst (see sidebar for one example I dared not rant about in the main review). The idea is that Walt, bitter old man that he is, has the perfect solution to every problem: point a gun at anyone who ticks you off, though don't ever shoot. Brilliant. Let me explain that last piece of sarcasm (and believe me; after all the sarcasm in this movie, I deserve my fair share). Even in the hands of another director, this movie would be a decidedly mish-mash tale of frequent gun-toting mixed with seemingly contradictory pacifism. Walt pulls his guns out at every opportunity, though he wants the boy next door to know that guns are not the answer. So...why did you pull out your gun in the first place? It's like Clint wants us to remember he's Clint Eastwood, gun-toting action star...though he can no longer afford bullets! Just hold your gun, aim it threateningly, and the problem is solved. Huh? This action-drama paradox is a shame, because it detracts from the potentially enjoyable story elsewhere. When he isn't pulling out his gun just so he can show it to someone, Walt experiences some of the typical things that get on everyone's nerves: white guys trying to "be black," street punks who act like they "own the street," and young kids with more guns than the National Guard. Walt has little to say about most annoyances; he often offers a simple groan, and we groan along with him. Yet along the way he learns a thing or two about racial tolerance, especially when he experiences the elaborate culture of his newfound friends next door. Oddly enough; when this movie isn't trying to be exciting, it is actually quite entertaining. Then some random person does a violent act, Walt pulls out his gun and...that's about it. Here's the problem with that: the movie takes a decidedly dark turn by the final reel, that would seemingly forgo any more pacifist "solutions" to the problem, especially from Clint Eastwood: the man who brought us Unforgiven. That film had a gun-toting cowboy decide to leave retirement when a woman in the nearby town was raped and killed without mercy. When a similarly violent act is committed in this movie, you think: hey, the lead star is Clint Eastwood, so the bad guys will get their due. Nope! Without spoiling anything major, suffice to say that the solution to this seemingly unforgivable act is decidedly pacifistic, extremely unsatisfying, and frankly, unrealistic. Will this actually solve the problem beyond tomorrow? No way! Seriously, Clint; what the heck? The message here, apparently, is that guns are not the answer under any circumstances. In fact; even if a woman was raped without mercy, you should dial 911. While that's realistic, it makes for a decidedly boring Eastwood movie. Again, I find myself asking the inevitable. Is the former action star now asking us to forgive him for Unforgiven? Well, Clint, if that's true: nothing needs to be forgiven...until now, anyway.
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