Clint Eastwood delivers a tour-de-force performance in a tension-soaked tale about the bubbling pressures under the surface of muilticultural America He examines the clashes of ideals in predominantly white, blue-collar neighbourhoods, where the ethnic and cultural make-up has been irrevocably altered by the influx of immigrants.

This volatile mix of old and new, east and west, explodes with devastating consequences in Gran Torino, a powerful tale of modern day vigilantism based on a script by Nick Schenk.

At the emotional heart of the story is Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a man haunted by his experiences in the Korean War and consumed by grief over the death of his beloved wife.

He is a man of few words, none of them kind, who harbours resentment towards everyone around him, including his two sons, Mitch (Brian Haley) and Steve (Brian Howe).

He has no interest in the sermons of local priest Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), and even less time for the Asian next-door neighbours he labels gooks or swamp rats.

When Hmong gang leader Spider (Doua Moua) and his four-strong posse scrap with neighbour’s son Thao (Bee Vang) on his lawn, Walt intervenes with his rifle.

Spider and co flee the scene and Thao’s older sister Sue (Ahney Her) shows her gratitude by strengthening ties between the two households.

Against the odds, Walt finds himself warming to his neighbours and he takes Thao under his wing, encouraging the him to become the man of his house.

But Spider and his gang have Walt and his protege in their sights and the only language they understand begins with the pull of a trigger.

Gran Torino provokes difficult moral questions about personal responsibility and sacrifice in a world riven by gang violence and peer pressure.

The veteran star is mesmerising as a curmudgeon who chews on political correctness and spits out the bones.

The strength of the performance lies in Eastwood’s ability to chip away at Walt’s steely facade and reveal the rage and despair within.

Newcomers Vang and Her pale next to such a formidable, eye-catching performance, particularly in the heart-wrenching final act when Walt proves the love has no limits.