GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Wide Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

67 $9.99
75 24 City
66 Adoration
74 Afghan Star
48 Alien Trespass
56 American Violet
82 Anvil! The Story of Anvil
57 Away We Go
81 Beaches of Agnes, The
62 Big Man Japan
28 Big Shot-Caller, The
78 Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, The
55 Brothers Bloom, The
82 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
xx Call of the Wild
63 Cheri
62 Cherry Blossoms
63 Dead Snow
65 Departures
18 Downloading Nancy
58 Easy Virtue
70 End of the Line, The
77 Every Little Step
64 Examined Life
80 Food, Inc.
38 Gigantic
56 Girl from Monaco, The
67 Girlfriend Experience, The
87 Gomorrah
89 Goodbye Solo
63 Great Buck Howard, The
79 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
xx Home
82 Hunger
91 Hurt Locker, The
16 I Hate Valentine's Day
81 Il Divo
54 Is Anybody There?
71 Jerichow
58 Julia
74 Lemon Tree
36 Life is Hot in Cracktown
40 Limits of Control, The
42 Little Ashes
64 Lymelife
50 Management
57 Merry Gentleman, The
66 Moon
35 New York
62 Not Forgotten
xx Offshore
78 O'Horten
64 Outrage
40 Paris 36
54 Pontypool
71 Pressure Cooker
52 Quiet Chaos
83 Revanche
67 Rudo y Cursi
86 Seraphine
65 Sex Positive
70 Shall We Kiss?
77 Sin Nombre
59 Sleep Dealer
74 Song of Sparrows, The
54 Stoning of Soraya M., The
82 Sugar
84 Summer Hours
61 Sunshine Cleaning
28 Surveillance
42 Tennessee
63 Tetro
64 Throw Down Your Heart
80 Tokyo Sonata
63 Tokyo!
70 Tony Manero
74 Treeless Mountain
88 Tulpan
74 Two Lovers
83 Tyson
83 U2 3D
60 Under Our Skin
69 Unmistaken Child
69 Valentino: The Last Emperor
22 What Goes Up
45 Whatever Works
57 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Gran Torino
Warner Bros. Pictures

Gran Torino reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 72 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.6 out of 10
based on 34 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 263 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for language throughout, and some violence

Starring Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, and Christopher Carley

Retired auto worker Walt Kowalski fills his days with home repair, beer and monthly trips to the barber. The people he once called his neighbors have all moved or passed away, replaced by Hmong immigrants, from Southeast Asia, he despises. Resentful of virtually everything he sees--Walt is just waiting out the rest of his life. Until the night someone tries to steal his `72 Gran Torino. The Gran Torino brings his shy teenaged neighbor Thao into his life when Hmong gangbangers pressure the boy into trying to steal it. But Walt stands in the way of both the heist and the gang, making him the reluctant hero of the neighborhood--especially to Thao's mother and older sister, Sue, who insist that Thao work for Walt as a way to make amends. Though he initially wants nothing to do with these people, Walt eventually gives in and puts the boy to work fixing up the neighborhood, setting into motion an unlikely friendship that will change both their lives. (Warner Bros. Pictures)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Drama  |  Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Dave Johannson (story)
Nick Schenk (& story)
 
DIRECTED BY: Clint Eastwood  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: June 9, 2009 
Theatrical: December 12, 2008 
RUNNING TIME: minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
A movie at once understated and radical, deceptively unremarkable in presentation and ballsy in its earnestness. Don't let the star's overly familiar squint fool you: This is subtle, perceptive stuff.
Read Full Review
90
Village Voice Scott Foundas
Above all, it feels like a summation of everything he (Eastwood) represents as a filmmaker and a movie star, and perhaps also a farewell.
Read Full Review
90
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Perhaps the best thing about Schenk's script is that it enticed Eastwood to end his self-imposed acting hiatus and bring his one-of-a-kind aura back to the screen.
Read Full Review
90
The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Mr. Eastwood is also an adept director of his own performances and, perhaps more important, a canny manipulator of his own iconographic presence.
Read Full Review
89
Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Eastwood finds the humorous aspects of the character as well, no more so than when the appetite of the widower who lives on beef jerky and Pabst Blue Ribbon becomes the center of attention among the Hmong women cooks.
Read Full Review
88
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The movie is supremely entertaining -- and often hilarious.
Read Full Review
88
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
A lifetime in movies runs through this prime vintage Eastwood performance. You can't take your eyes off him. The no-frills, no-bull Gran Torino made my day.
Read Full Review
88
New York Post Lou Lumenick
It's also a terrific, career-capping role for Eastwood, who claims he's now retired as an actor. He shows off his comic chops more fully than in any film since "Bronco Billy" more than a quarter-century ago.
Read Full Review
88
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Stars Eastwood as an American icon once again -- this time as a cantankerous, racist, beer-chugging retired Detroit autoworker who keeps his shotgun ready to lock and load. Dirty Harry on a pension, we're thinking, until we realize that only the autoworker retired; Dirty Harry is still on the job.
Read Full Review
80
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
It's a meditation, as affecting as it is entertaining, on the limits of violence and the power of unchained empathy.
Read Full Review
80
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
If you can survive the F-bombs and the near-constant ethnic invective, Gran Torino is not to be missed, if only as the gutsy, thoroughly unexpected valedictory of an icon fully willing to spend every bit of his considerable capital.
Read Full Review
80
The New Yorker David Denby
The movie was not written for Eastwood, but it still seems to be all about him--his past characters, his myth, his old role as a dispenser of raw justice.
Read Full Review
80
Empire Angie Errigo
Simply terrific, enormously watchable and an absolute must for all Eastwood fans. Gotta say it: this film will make your day.
Read Full Review
75
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
This is Eastwood's first acting job since "Million Dollar Baby," and his range, like his raspiness, is fairly one-note.
Read Full Review
75
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
Gran Torino amounts to one more elegiac movement in Eastwood's astonishing late-career symphony.
Read Full Review
75
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
For those who gripe that America doesn't make cars or movies like it used to, Clint Eastwood has two words for you: Gran Torino.
Read Full Review
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
This movie seems even rougher around the edges than much of his past work. Still, it's hard to resist.
Read Full Review
75
USA Today Claudia Puig
Earnest and understated, Gran Torino is an unflinching examination of themes that have fascinated Eastwood in most of his recent films: family, war, loss, faith and unexpected human connection.
Read Full Review
75
ReelViews James Berardinelli
An amazingly over-the-top anti-racism parable but, despite its obvious shortcomings, it is nevertheless effective and affecting.
Read Full Review
75
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Eastwood directs with his usual relaxed pace and bursts of intensity, a style that's pleasing to watch--and which, also as usual, never fully compensates for any shortcomings of the script handed to him.
Read Full Review
70
Slate Dana Stevens
Eastwood's furthest venture yet into the comic possibilities of his flintier-than-thou persona.
Read Full Review
70
Variety Todd McCarthy
Highlighted by the star's vastly entertaining performance, this funny, broad but ultimately serious-minded drama about an old-timer driven to put things right in his deteriorating neighborhood looks to be a big audience-pleaser.
Read Full Review
70
New York Magazine David Edelstein
The movie is ludicrous, but Eastwood’s consistency is poignant. He has an agenda and sticks to it.
Read Full Review
70
Film Threat Scott Mendelson
Gran Torino is not a masterpiece. It’s a fun character drama that features a knowing but winning final performance by Clint Eastwood and just enough commentary to make it worth discussing.
Read Full Review
70
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
Until Gran Torino starts rumbling headlong toward its tone-deaf, self-serious ending -- the script is by Nick Schenk -- it's often enjoyable, satisfying and funny.
Read Full Review
63
Boston Globe Ty Burr
An endlessly fascinating movie. If only it were a good one.
Read Full Review
60
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Eastwood has always had the gift for comedy in his acting repertoire, but he indulges in it only rarely. His fans might embrace this return to comedy.
Read Full Review
60
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Eastwood's performance is the movie's centerpiece, and as you might expect, it's just tough enough to hold everything together.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Eastwood's foursquare directorial aesthetic tends to heighten, rather than camouflage, a screenplay's shortcomings.
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Maybe this mixed-up and weird, awful but awfully likable movie is what Dirty Harry had coming to him, after all.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Eastwood is still a primal force on-screen, but his unusual practice of shooting scripts as written, which served him well on "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby," here leaves him exposed to Nick Schenk's familiar situations and awkward dialogue.
Read Full Review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Gran Torino skids into the narrative ditch. By the time it jolts to an ending, followed by Clint rasping a tune to the closing credits, you're more likely to be rolling your eyes than dabbing them.
Read Full Review
50
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Nick Schenk's well-intentioned script employs the creaky old Hollywood device of reversing everything set up in its first half.
Read Full Review
38
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
It's no compliment to say a movie is "all of a piece" if the piece is all worn out. For all its surface harshness, this movie is a star vehicle at once rickety and cozy.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 263 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

McKinley T gave it a6:
This movie had so much potential; a great storyline, excellent plot development and a dramatic and touching ending. However all of this could not make me overlook the absolutely horrible acting in this film. Clint Eastwood might as well have played all the parts himself, Eddie Murphy-style.

Stuart W. gave it a9:
Clint Eastwood isn't getting any younger and maybe it's this reason why he has directd and starred in four films in two years. All of which have been excellent and have won numerous awards. I have to admit that i am a softy, in this film i was howling with laughter one moment and in tears the next. Surely this must be Eastwood's finest acting moment. It's intriging and heartbraking at the same time. Eastwood acts a certain way and he does it very well and at times Dirty Harry rears his head. But the passion of his character shines through every minute he is on film. I wanted to tell people to ignore the Scandalous review of the baltimore sun. That reviewer deserves the immediate sack. Whether you are sentimental or not the film easily merits at least an 8. For me, it's one of the best films i've seen in years and i hope it goes down as a classic.

John H. gave it a10:
Great Movie. I would give it a ten. Great action, plot, acting, etc. I would have nominated this movie for best picture. It is my third favorite film last year. My other two favorites were The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire. The other two movies I would have nominated for Best Picture are Iron Man,and the Changeling, followed by Doubt. You have to see this movie. Whoever didn't like this movie, no affence, but flat out, is just an idiot or has very poor taste in movies! See this movie!!!

Rich R. gave it a9:
Very interesting movie, and the end was a real shock to me. The only thing that keeps me from giving in a ten is Clint's portrayal of that mean old man: nobody is that mean and full of dieased, racist blather. He carries on that bit for way too long, and should have dropped it the minute the Hmong girl (the best character in the film, for me) got in his truck. And it's unlikely that anyone would carry war atrocity guilt for so long. Otherwise, it was a fine film, and it was fun to see the Hmong families together. We really did mess up the lives of so many people over in SE Asia; the least we can do is show them some respect. Hey, I know, I know, this is just a movie, but you know what I mean.

Brian T. gave it a7:
Not really sure how to rate this movie. clint eastwood was a ten, the plot/script was decent, but many members of the supporting cast were abysmal. bad enough to distract and ruin (?) the movie. i guess i would recommend the movie but only to enjoy clint eastwood - he really was that good.

Margaret S. gave it a9:
I loved Gran Torino...Clint Eastwood was superb in his "last" role...I cried at the end and found it very moving. I agree that the Priest did not do a good acting job. He was very mis-cast.

Shane S gave it a10:
This movie was really underated by the oscars, Clint Eastwood is at his best here make no mistake. He still, (as though it were a refined art), pulls off being a gritty, hardcore, don't-mess-around-with-me kind of a guy even though he's like in his eighties. This movie brings the persona, that is Clint Eastwood, to a whole new level, with some smart humor and a great supporting cast. I highly recommend this film.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use