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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Gran Torino

    Featured In Issue 141, July/August 2009

    Picture3.5
    Sound3.5
    WSR Score5
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Warner Home Video
    (Catalog Number):
    3000020694
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    Language throughout and some violence
    (Retail Price):
    $34.99
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    117
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2008
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    06/09/09
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Clint Eastwood
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Korean War vet and retired autoworker Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) doesn't much like how his life or his neighborhood have turned out. He especially doesn't like the people next door, Hmong immigrants from Southeast Asia. But events force Walt to defend those neighbors against a local gang that feeds on violence and fear. (Tricia Spears)

    Special features include three featurettes: The Eastwood Way (HD 19:17), Manning The Wheel (HD 09:23), and Gran Torino: More Than A Car (HD 03:57); BD-Live interactivity; up-front ads; and a digital copy of the film.

    The 1080p VC-1 picture exhibits in numerous scenes a gloomy, overcast character with subdued, understated colors and fleshtones. Hues are not fully saturated, and the picture appears gritty and edgy. Other scenes appear perfectly natural, though, still with the overcast character. Shadow delineation is good and reveals fine textures and depth. Blacks are solid and deep. Overall, this is a presentation that projects a slightly dull visual experience. (Gary Reber)

    The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack is extremely subdued and front-channel focused, with the slightest subtle surround, which is virtually undetectable. Dialogue sounds nicely integrated spatially. The music score is the highlight of the soundtrack and is nicely recorded with a wide and deep soundstage, but still subtle in the surrounds. Bass extension is limited in the .1 LFE channel and is infrequently employed. This is a mediocre soundtrack that lacks dynamic involvement and surround envelopment, limiting the sound to a monaural focus. (Gary Reber)

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