In what reportedly will be his final appearance in front of a camera, Clint Eastwood delivers a tour-de-force performance as a xenophobic war veteran in the timely, humanist drama Gran Torino. While the rest of America looks to conflicts raging overseas, the veteran actor and director picks his thematic battles much closer to home. In particular, 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 this 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). The old coot 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 “swamp rats”.

When Hmong gang-banger 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 lad to become the man of his house.

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

Gran Torino is another beautifully crafted, deeply compassionate and timely piece of filmmaking from Eastwood, which 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, dismissing Sue’s heartfelt thanks for saving her brother by growling, “All I did was get a bunch of jabbering gooks off my lawn.”

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 that love has no limits.

Could the timing be more perfect for a conspiracy thriller that paints the banking community as moustache-twirling villains? With the blame for the credit crunch being leveled squarely at financial institutions, which allowed savers to borrow well above their means, The International chooses a sitting duck as its primary target.

Screenwriter Eric Warren Singer was inspired by the downfall of the Bank of Credit and Commercial International, which collapsed in 1991, just as UK and US legislators discovered details of arms dealings and money laundering.

From the seed of corporate shame blooms a fast-paced, action-packed work of fiction, pitting two ordinary people against a huge global machine with tentacles that reach into the upper echelons of power.

Money speaks louder than principles – it controls global politics, drives people to commit desperate acts and finances terrorism and wars which leave entire nations clamouring for survival.

Interpol Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) uncovers evidence of serious infringements within one of the world’s most powerful banks and resolves to bring the institution’s boardroom to justice.

However, Jonas Skarssen (Ulrich Thomsen), Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and their partners are wise to the investigation and hire a hit man called The Consultant (Brian F. O’Byrne) to eliminate this pesky thorn in their side.

Joining forces with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), Louis follows the money around the world, travelling from Berlin and Milan to New York and Istanbul in the hope of gathering enough proof to expose the dodgy dealings. However, the men in power will stop at nothing to protect their investments – even murder.