The Legend of Clint Eastwood
Gran Torino, 2008
The Motion Picture Academy decided to ignore Gran Torino. Yet this small film about an old man softening up to his Hmong neighbors, then steeling himself to avenge a crime committed against them, was the star's biggest hit. Growling and spitting like a distempered stray, his Walt Kowalski is a mass of gruff prejudices against the minorities who've moved into his Michigan town. When some kids brawl in front of his house, he brandishes a rifle and actually shouts, "Get off my lawn!" Underneath, though, Walt is a stalwart man of the Midwest — the hero who has a score to settle. With himself. Eastwood the director puts Eastwood the actor is in total command of his character, daring himself to new depths. You'll see a tough man cry — one of the few flourishings of tears in the Eastwood oeuvre. That unaffected emotion eventually informs the whole movie, making it a wrenching, rewarding experience. Along with his famous guts, Dirty Harry has a heart.