Gran Torino (2008)

The midwest neighborhood is extremely volatile with teenage thugs around every corner in gangs of all races, seemingly egged on in testosterone filled quests to display dominance and carry out violence. The movie does a good job of side-stepping the need to explain this lack of chill behavior by focusing on old Korean war veteran Walt played by Clint Eastwood. A fascinating, direct, seemingly racist, somewhat tortured and crusty old man who just lost his wife, now seems disconnected from almost everyone except his barber perhaps. But violent happenings in the neighborhood come to pull him out of his isolation. A great story, and of Eastwood's recent films as an actor, actually I liked this role the best.