I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this film...yes I know it sweeped the Oscars (it won Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture), but after watching "Mystic River" (also by Eastwood) I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw "Mystic River" in theaters, I didn't know anything about the film (or that I was going, until about 5 minutes before it started). Needless to say I was shocked and incredibly depressed when it was over. A friend had given me a basic plot summary of "Million Dollar Baby", including the ending, so I assumed it would follow the pattern of darkness found in "Mystic River"...thankfully I was wrong.
The story follows the intertwined lives of three boxers: Frankie (Eastwood) the trainer, Scrap (Freeman) former boxer who lost an eye and now cleans Frankie's gym, and Maggie (Swank) a 30ish bosing hopeful. Frankie is a unique character: he attends mass daily (much to the annoyance of the priest), he tells his fighters they aren't good enough (usually during a fight to make them mad enough to do something about it), but has heart. He is hurting, carrying a burden of regret and guilt which is slowly killing him. He is a no-nonsense guy, and he doesn't "train girls". Maggie left her home and everything she knows to live in squalor and work as a waitress to support her dream of becoming a boxer. She is willing to do anything. Through the intervention of Scrap (who gives Maggie training tips, and extra practice time), Frankie agrees to be Maggie's manager.
The characters have raw emotion (including the supporting cast of Maggie's family, and the other boxers in the gym) and the plot keeps you guessing. I've seen every film Clint Eastwood has been in (my grandfather's love his old westerns), but it was only after watching this film that I truly understood his appeal.
- : if you're going to watch this film you need to commit to your time and attention to it fully
Buy it without seeing it: this is a powerful film and while it may not be for everyone it is a film worth owning
Million Dollar Baby (2004) 132 minutes
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood as Frankie
Hillary Swank as Maggie
Morgan Freeman as Scrap
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