| Gran Torino [DVD] [2008] | ![Gran Torino [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AjTwfK8OL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £4.43
as of 2/9/2010 23:36 CDT details
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Rating:  168 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), Italian (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Arabic (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), Hebrew (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), English (Audio Description), Italian (Dubbed)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5051892004299
ASIN: B001O9C4RI
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: June 29, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 amazing February 2, 2010
Matthew Edmondson (Essex, England)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I can't understand why this movie has generated several '1 stars' and bad comments. This truly is an incredible piece of film making and i can honestly say this is my favourite ever film. Great characters, excellent heart warming story and actually very funny in places. Definately recommended to anyone who enjoys movies :-)
Grand Finale October 21, 2009
Pundit (England)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is a review of the Blu-Ray DVD Gran Torino.
First of all I did not at any time think 'Wow! What a stunning Blu-Ray picture in 1080P !' That's because from start to finish it looked like a normal standard-def DVD. The extras and options are good however, with spoken language options English (inc Dolby TrueHD), English descriptive narration, French, Dutch, Italian and Castellano. Subtitles excellent - English, French, German, Italian, Castellano, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Chinese and Korean. There is the facility to set up an account with Warner Bros BD-Live, offering on-line up-to-date movie trailers, further information about the Gran Torino film among much more, all of which was easy to do with a WiFi enabled PS3.
The 5-star rating applies mainly to the film itself rather than its technical features. You've got to hand it to Clint Eastwood, whose last acting role this apparently was. This is his 66th film as an actor, and his 34th (but not last) as a director. Yet he's 79 years of age, which is awesome considering he's more than doing the numbers - no, this is a fine piece of acting by any standard and he is as magnetic to watch as ever. In this quirky but realistic story he plays Walt Kowalski, a grumpy, humourless, bigoted Polish American, recently widowed and still haunted by memories of the Korean War more than half a century earlier. He worked at Ford in Detroit most of his working life, and probably his proudest possession is his 1972 Ford Torino. When the film first came out about a year ago I had the impression that he was a racist, but that isn't accurate; he doesn't really like anybody, not even his own sons and grandchildren, and just wants to be left alone in peace, with his labrador as his only welcome companion. His next-door neighbours are of Hmong descent, a culture from a mixture of the Asian countries of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. One of them, a young man called Thao, is bullied by a mainly Hispanic gang into stealing the Torino, which is when an unlikely relationship between Kowalski and Thao begins.
This is a character-driven contemporary drama from start to finish, deliberately old-school in keeping with the personality of Kowalski himself, and while it is chock-full of expletives it is nevertheless frequently very funny as well, with most of the laughs coming from Eastwood's ironic, dead-pan expressions or grumbles, even if he doesn't look as if he feels like laughing himself. It has almost nothing to do with racism at all, instead it is a mildly uplifting tale of a man acting as mentor and father-figure to a youngster in danger of taking the wrong path in life. Eastwood occasionally displays some Dirty Harry-esque moments with his growly threats to get off of his lawn, whether this is a deliberate parody of himself isn't clear but it's also one of the few examples of him slipping out of the unique character that is Walt Kowalski, a role he fills to near perfection throughout. As he has done countless times throughout his career, Eastwood carries this film (despite a very good supporting cast) and in spite of his advancing years he's still very much the powerful leading man he has always been. Very few actors have equalled him for consistency and strength over such a long period - he's been at the top for well over 50 years - and I wonder if anyone will match him in the future.
In summary, an amusing but serious story, entertaining and thought-provoking, and a fitting closure to a magnificent acting career.
At least one guy in hollywood is making real movies May 13, 2009
John Edward Colman (UK)
87 out of 93 found this review helpful
What can I say? If I try to describe this film to someone it sounds terrifically dull - but it's wonderful.
Okay, I'm an old softie: I loved "Bridges of Madison" and "Million Dollar Baby" and this is of the same high quality.
Clint takes the time to develop the characters. Why don't other film-makers bother to do that? The film is great because you actually care about the characters - even the ones who hardly speak. They feel fully fleshed out and have real personalities. At times the performances are so spontaneous that they feel improvised.
It doesn't really matter what this film's name is or what the plot is about. This is a "people" film about real life (not mine thankfully) and just when you start to think it might be turning into Dirty Harry, it turns into something else - something which everything about the Clint Eastwood character has been setting up throughout the film.
Five stars. Thank you Mr. Eastwood.
An instant classic December 9, 2009
Düppengießer (Köln)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
When I saw Gran Torino in the cinema, I found myself gloriously amused in one second - and howling like a lap dog in the next. In a nutshell: I wished the film would never have ended. So I was curious if I would still benefit by watching it a second time - if it might actually be called an instant classic. And my answer: I did. And it might.
Eastwood sticks to his style by addressing the central topics of life in his very own (we nearly called it Clintonesque) way. As was the case for Million Dollar Baby - and perhaps any great film - our fascination is not caused by the topic's irresistibility (or have we recently missed a drama starring an intractable pensioner with xenophobic - not to say misanthropic - tendencies?), but by the breath-takingly outlined characters and their interaction. Nevertheless, we need to take a short look at the plot: Walt's life is in shambles. His wife left him via a coffin, his children want no part of him (except for his car and house), and his neighborhood has been overrun by immigrant clans a long time ago. Thus he's got nothing left but his dog; and his Gran Torino, this battleship of a Ford he helped to build decades ago as an assembly-line worker.
This is the starting situation for a 116-minute-long emotional roller coaster ride through strange and even stranger cultures. By the film's virtuously proportioned intensity and dialogues with snarky humor we are not only invited, but are intrigued to participate in Walt's second life. Quite unintentionally, he changes the lives of an inexperienced clergyman, a neighboring family and finally - his own.
Gran Torino, Blu-Ray September 24, 2009
Spider Monkey (UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
`Gran Torino' is quite simply one of the best films I have seen in quite some time. Directed by, produced by and starring Clint Eastwood, this film has a feeling of gravitas and meaning from the word go. This follows Walt Kowalski, who is a Korean war veteran, and how has he seen the neighbourhood around him change over the years and how he has seen a rise in violence and intimidation. It also looks at how he faces his own prejudices about his Hmong neighbours and strikes a relationship with the family next door. It is touching to see Walt develop from the archetype grumpy old man, to seeing someone with a softer side and with a great deal of compassion for those who are in a worse situation than himself. Clint plays Walt gruff and old school from the outset and you often laugh at his up front honesty, especially when confronted with a do-good catholic priest, but he isn't a one trick pony and manages to show his considerable acting (and directing) skills throughout. This may be Clint's swansong film, but considering the calibre of films he is making at the moment it would be a great shame if that was so. This has a powerful ending that will resonate long after the credits have rolled and will have you coming back to it in your mind at odd times in the days after you watch the film. This may be a scathing indictment of modern life in some cities, but it also has a well written storyline with impact and power. Needless to say, I highly recommend it.
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