A film that doesn't give in to the rules of the genre, and stays loyal to the story and the characters instead

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2007)

Unfortunately, it seems as if two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is one of the least famous actresses who managed to win the prestigious Oscar trophy twice during the course of the years. I say so in great sorrow, as I believe Swank is part of an elite list of modern-day actresses who truly lives up to the definition of acting. And boy can she act! Swank has that special ability to absorb herself into the role she's playing. If she's the androgynous victim in Boys Don't Cry, the nerdy cashier in the overlooked 11:14 or the powerful underdog boxer in this case  she'll always become the character and deliver a powerhouse, emotional draining, performance.
Anyway Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood's little boxer film that could, became a surprise Academy Award best picture winner back in 2005, beating Scorsese's wonderful The Aviator. The plot itself, much like the film and its lead actress, tells the story of Maggie Fitzgerald, a female boxer (Swank) who rises from her trailer-park life and become a professional fighter against the odds, with the help of her devoted manager, Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) a washed-up trainer who has seen much better days. However, this isn't your average boxing film. Unlike Rocky, Cinderella Man and others of the genre, its final twist is truly unpredictable, and will most likely leave you pondering for days after watching the film. Either way, I found it different in the right kind of fashion. It's a film that doesn't give in to the rules of the genre, and stays loyal to the story and the characters instead. Since it did that and still managed to gross over 100 million dollars in the North American box office alone, I would call it a remarkable achievement for the human spirit.