Walt Kowalski is not a happy camper. Recently widowed and dealing with uncaring family, this racist old Vietnam vet is not living an envied life. He has to deal with his overbearing (all growed up) son and his family, while those pesky Asian immigrants are moving in next door. But throughout the course of the film, our antihero learns to love. I.e. a more updated variation on the old timer with regrets he played in Unforgiven.
When I first saw this film during its run in theaters, my initial reaction was intermittent lulz and muted indifference. Revisiting it years later, I am happy to report that I liked it much more. Granted, it’s still one of the weaker entries in Eastwood’s filmography, and the things that I didn’t like about it then still bother me now. First off, some of the most over-the-top and awful excuses for gangsters I've seen in any film. They're hardly as threatening as they are annoying. Also troublesome is Walt's immediate family, and how rather than coming off as neglectful and uncaring (which is surely what this film was going for), they were just stria hgt-up assholes. Maybe Walt was onto something by choosing not to connect with them.
But this recent viewing did more to clear some things up than retread what made me dislike it in the first place. One thing that was very difficult to accept before was how accepting the Asian family was of Walt’s racist attitude, as he continues to act like a crotchy old bastard even when he befriends them. I never quite understood how they could find his racist mannerisms charming, but watching it again, I realized this: they don’t. Despite having a new circle of friends, Walt isn’t about to change who he is entirely, and the family accepts that and chooses to go along with Walt’s mannerisms and put up with him.
As I said earlier, this film is not in the upper tier of Eastwood's filmography, but it is still quite good. I certainly like it more now than I did when it first came out, warts and all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment