Just came home from watching "Gran Torino" by Clint Eastwood and now I realise why impressions of Clint Eastwood often involve snarls. Eastwood really snarls a lot and his character says things as it is.

How was the movie? I give it both thumbs up!! I went into the theatre without knowing squilsh about it and was expecting some action film with lots of guns - especially since it was my dad who wanted to go watch it.

Well, there were guns. But not in the John Woo, glorified spray of bullets kind of film. Let me try to give a synopsis without revealing too much. "Gran Torino" is about Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a disgruntled Korean war veteran who was recently widowed, who develops a relationship with the Hmong teen who lives next door and tried to steal his Gran Torino car - through the pressure of Thao's cousin who is in a gang. He is inadvertedly drawn into the family and he slowly teaches the boy about life and he protects them away from the gang.

The film is named after the car that Walt Kowalski owns and it is a 1972 Ford Gran Torino that is in mint condition. It becomes the pseudo-symbol of the American dream - not one of wealth and a 'good' job, but rather of the future where the youth worked hard, freedom from gangs (perhaps even crime?) and of better mutual understanding between races.

Oh gosh...I soo wanna reveal more but I shall stop. However, if you're like me and cry easily when watching weepy films, please bring tissue into the theatre. "Gran Torino" is a tear-jerker and even the men in the theatre felt the sorrowful ending. Well, like the starting homily from the priest, the ending was like what he described death to be. "Death is bitter sweet. Bitter for the deceased and his/her family. Sweet because of the promise of salvation."

Go watch it! It is an important film that touches on racial harmony, mutual understanding, the problem of gangs, immigration etc. without being cheesy the way some *ahem* people do. As I mentioned earlier....TWO THUMBS UP!!