You know what makes me laugh really hard? The thought of Dirty Harry Callahan having to ask himself if he fired six shots or only five because he is dealing with a touch of dementia and a bit of the ol' Alzheimer's. Well, that on-screen gag might just be coming to fruition soon as everything seems to indicate that Gran Torino is in fact Dirty Harry 6.
Earlier this week, a mysterious film entitled Gran Torino was announced amidst a shroud of secrecy. The only things known about the project were that it was coming from Warner Brothers, it would be released this December (around the same time as Eastwood's Oscar bait The Changeling), and that it was going to be directed by Clint Eastwood. The big surprise was that Eastwood himself was going to be starring in the title role. Well, rumors started busting out all over the place. Some wished for an Any Which Way You Can follow-up. But most saw this as the next Dirty Harry entry in the waiting.
AINC posted this letter from a reader yesterday:
Harry.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}Nobody seems to know - not even the trades - what Clint Eastwood's new movie, Gran Torino, is.... So I'll tell you.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}I recently advertised my 1974 ford grand torino classic original for sale in the local here, and within 24 hours had someone from Village Roadshow Pictures interested in having a look at it. He came. He wasn't interested for numerous reasons (probably the modifications). He told me they were looking for the right car for a new Clint Eastwood movie.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}He said it was a thriller about a killer that drives a certain torino. His 1972 Ford Gran Torino is the only thing the police have on him. A retired police lieutenant, one Harry Callahan, makes it his mission to track down the culprit when two young police officers, one Callahan's grandson, are shot and killed by the guy.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}So there you have it.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}Hope that helps.{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}On with the show,{@@@newline@@@}{@@@newline@@@}Kurt, North Hollywood.
Well, I have just returned from a visit to the local watering hole The Ye Ol' Rustic, where one of the regulars and a friend of mine just so happens to work for Malpaso, Eastwood's production company. He claims that the rumors are true, Gran Torino is the sixth Harry Callahan film. And the story the writer sent into AINC seems to be pretty accurate as far as plot points are concerned.
This is pretty exciting news. Gran Torino is currently filming. The film does not have a set release date at this time, but we do know that it will be coming sometime this December. Stay tuned for more information in the future.