Monday, June 15, 2009

Summary Judgement: Gran Torino (2008)

A cliched story is saved by engaging performances from the the two young Asian-American co-stars. Eastwood's feel-good neighborly redemption and contrived sacrifice obscure the reactionary scenario that holds-up gun-justice and violence as solutions to urban alienation and conflict. A truly disturbing confection that has nothing to say on the causes of urban decline and the economic forces that shape lives in the suburbs and on the streets.