Million Dollar Baby packs powerful punch

As a director, Eastwood just keeps getting better and better … so we can expect to see this stunningly excellent film feature strongly in the Oscar listings.

Fri, 14 Jan, 2005 - 13:04

Million Dollar Baby

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Hillary Swank, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter

Cert: 12.

As a director, Eastwood just keeps getting better and better … so we can expect to see this stunningly excellent film feature strongly in the Oscar listings.

Set in the world of boxing - the less glamorous portion of it - Eastwood brings us a brilliantly-observed tale of ambition, dreams, relationships and redemption.

He plays Frankie, a trainer/manager who runs a seen-better-days gym in Los Angeles, there preparing his new fighter for a shot at the gold ring.

Into the gym comes Maggie (Swank), a waitress who wants to become a fighter. Frankie decides to steer her into more beneficial paths.

And everyone in this towering film emerges as champions: Freeman is wonderful as Scrap, Frankie’s long-time pal; Swank makes for a sympathetic Maggie and Eastwood himself has seldom been better.

His directing allows the plot to develop fully, and the characters to develop within it. In all respects, this is a gem of a movie.

Star Rating: 5/5