Tagline: “Ever notice how you come across somebody every once in a while you shouldn’t have messed with?â€
Translation: If Clint Eastwood does not win an Oscar for something next February, he will shoot someone in the face.
The Verdict: Following the not-terrific critical reaction to Changeling, here comes Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood’s recently completed second-chance awards contender, about a squinty, grizzled oldster who learns to overcome his prejudices by bonding with his Hmong neighbors while simultaneously threatening local teenagers with firearms. This is purportedly Eastwood’s last-ever film role, so we can’t imagine the Clint-loving Academy would deny him an acting nomination (no matter how much like Batman he sounds in this trailer), but doesn’t the movie itself — including its Crash-y premise, too obvious message, and unstellar cast — maybe look like it might be kinda bad?