[Volokh] Randy Barnett: See Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino:

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Posted by Randy Barnett:
See Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino: 
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_01_04-2009_01_10.shtml#1231584466


   Ann Althouse posts [1]10 "random thoughts" on Clint Eastwood's new
   film, Gran Torino, including number 5: "This is a good movie for
   people who like cars and guns and tools. There's also a lot of
   drinking and, as I said, smoking. And a military medal, a lawnmower,
   and a dog. All the manly things. With lots of manliness on top." The
   comments that follow her post are also worth reading (after you see
   the film) including this positive one (also flagged by [2]Glenn): "It
   says something about America that the toughest guy in the movies is 78
   years old." Then there are these two more negative comments:

     I kind of despise Clint Eastwood ever since . . . [Unforgiven.]
     That movie took the glamour of violence to a new level of
     hypocrisy. It was all about how awful violence is -- lots and lots
     of violence for you to deplore, and the hero who hated it but was
     really good at it, talk about Hollywood having their cake and
     eating it too. It started Eastwood on a streak of fashionably
     "dark" movies -- Mystic River, which I also hated, because it was
     all about pampered Hollywood guys' fascination with tragedy and
     depravity -- very gratuitous and voyeuristic. And then Million
     Dollar Baby, in which of course the heroine has to get paralyzed
     and commit assisted suicide.

   And this one:

     I won't quibble with Clint's performance but, really, just about
     every other actor's performance is barely after-school-special
     quality. . . . The performances are so wooden that they can't help
     but jar you from the movie's reality. It's an ok movie but way
     over-hyped.

   I tend to agree, so here's my take on Gran Torino:
   What Ann--and lots of others including me--really like about Gran
   Torino is watching Eastwood's character, Walt Kowalski. And Kowalski
   is none other than Harry Callahan--AKA Dirty Harry--in retirement.
   Walt Kowalski Harry Calahan Then as now Callahan/Kowalski was
   surrounded by wooden stereotyped characters. If this is Eastwood's
   last film as an actor, as reputed, he decided to end his acting career
   by reprising his most famous character, and the one with whom he will
   forever be identified.
   And, in Gran Torino he treats the character with complete
   respect--without a hint of self-parody--thereby respecting and
   satisfying those who always liked the character. Anyone who enjoyed
   this character then, like Ann ("a guilty pleasure for us
   peace-and-love hippies"), will enjoy him now all the more. The big
   difference is the critical hype that Eastwood gets today, that he
   never got back then, thus permitting those who despised Harry to buy
   Walt. OK, I admit that Eastwood has grown over the years as an actor
   though, like John Wayne, he was always far better than the critics
   would admit.
   By the way, when I met Eastwood I asked him if he considered himself a
   libertarian. He said yes, though he did vote Republican, adding, "but
   Republicans are supposed to be libertarians, aren't they?" And he
   looked a lot younger and better in person than he looks on the screen
   (or even on TV at the Academy Awards).

References

   1. http://althouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-suppose-they-heard-there-would-be-lot.html
   2. http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/65869/