Clint Eastwood has snuck up on me and become one of my favorite directors. His films are consistently good, have more depth than the average Hollywood fare and each one is unique. Just look at his last five films; "Gran Torino", "Changeling", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Million Dollar Baby". Even "Iwo Jima" and "Flags" which took place in the same place and time were two completely different films. I didn't really like "Flags" or "Million Dollar Baby", but they had thier strengths. By the way, "Million Dollar Baby" was a good film, I just didn't like it.
Now Eastwood has taken an character he's portrayed before, and taken a good hard look inside. He's an old unhappy man who growls when he's not making racial slurs, and drinking beer when he's not growling. He speaks his mind and looses his temper. He is controlled and violent. There's nothing lovable on his exterior, but if you give him a chance, or if he gives you a chance, there is a heart beating inside his chest. Eastwood plays this Bogart style character perfectly, and his performance and dialogue is right on. Unfortunately I found some of the supporting actors and the lines they spoke to be sub-par. It's amazing how quickly the illusion of reality can be broken with some bad acting. All in all though, I thought the film was another great achievement for Eastwood. I especially enjoyed the moments when Eastwood's character is trying to teach a kid how men talk and interact with each other. Moments like that transcend a perfomance and become real.
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