Eye For Film >> Movies >> Gran Torino (2008) DVD Review
In its favour, this is a well-appointed DVD in terms of its basics, with a descriptive track and full subtitling across both the film and extras. But considering Gran Torino touches on some interesting issues concerning migration to the US, American attitudes to it and different types of masculinity, it's a shame that the extras on this disc are so anodyne.
Despite Clint's claim in the first of the extras that: "It's not really a car picture", you'd be hard pushed not to think that if you only watched the additional material here. There are only two featurettes, both testosterone-drenched and concerning the car of the title. The first, the nine-minute Manning The Wheel, is every bit as macho as the name suggests, with Clint and others who worked on the film discussing the link between man and machine. There is talk of "rites of passage", attracting girls and appreciating cars "on a deep level". There is also, rather oddly, Clint in soft-focus, despite the fact that no one else is.
The second extra, Gran Torino: More Than A Car, is even less interesting and outstays its welcome even at five minutes. It's a trip to an annual car rally in Detroit and is little more than men talking motors.
Considering this may well be Clint's last film in front of the camera, it's a shame more effort couldn't have been made with this package - and I wouldn't be surprised if a double-disc edition turns up at a later date.
Reviewed on: 29 Jun 2009