Gran Torino: Eastwood Brings M-1, Classic Car, and the Badass

Posted by Mister Hand (misterhand@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 25, 2008

Though he has garnered high acclaim, so far I have been underwhelmed by Clint Eastwood’s directorial efforts — with Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima being notable exceptions. I’ve yet to see an Eastwood-directed film in the last decade or so I would call bad, but nothing’s blown me out of the water. And while I find the true story aspect of Changeling intriguing, I’ll probably wait to catch it on DVD.

But Eastwood has another film coming in December called Gran Torino. He’ll be starring in this one as well as directing. You can catch some story details as well as a look at the poster over at USA Today, found via First Showing.

There’s no part of this film that doesn’t sound awesome, and Eastwood’s presence is definitely a plus. Look at that poster and tell me it doesn’t give you a chill. This could just as easily be the poster for Dirty Harry: Still Kicking Ass, with a tagline that reads, “Crime never retires!”

But Gran Torino is not an actioner. It appears to be a character piece with a compelling angle. A member of an Asian gang attempts to steal Eastwood’s prize possession, a vintage Gran Torino. Eastwood explains, “The young kid, as part of a gang initiation, tries to steal it, and the old guy gets him at the end of the M-1, which becomes kind of a big deal.”

A trailer has just been posted at Apple. Check it out below.

I know I for one will be anxiously awaiting this film’s release on December 17th. Have a look at the first poster for yourself below.

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