A triumphant drama about triumph

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2005)

I don't think I need to say much. Million Dollar Baby is Clint Eastwood's masterpiece. Clint showed his knowledge of capturing melancholy elements, and casting them out gratefully in Mystic River. This was different. Some may say that the drama in the film was the last 20 minutes, where the characters face a drastic experience, but that was not the main point.
Million Dollar Baby is a triumphant drama about triumph. We see Maggie Fitzgerald (played by Hilary Swank) triumph and conquer her way through boxing matches by hard work, determination, and the love of her boxing trainer named Frankie. (played by Clint Eastwood, himself) We hear Morgan explain "If there's magic in boxing, its the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."
The story is narrated by Mr. Scrap. (played by Morgan Freeman) They couldn't have chosen a better choice. Morgan Freeman is an excellent narrator; he captures the emotion in the scenes where it is necessary. After all, why would of he narrated in March of the Penguins and War of the Worlds? Most dramas have plenty of emotion, but those with a short attention span will probably not realize it, because of all the dialogue. This is different.
There is just something about this movie that makes it so beautifully touching. The music that Clint showed off in Unforgiven is apparent here. The acting is better than good- It's so excellent.
Million Dollar Baby knows when to be light-hearted and fun, and when to be moody and depressing. For example, in the first scenes, Clint shows off how much heart he can really put into a movie with the bond between Maggie and Frankie. The film becomes even more fun with some jokes added here and there. "You spent so much time on the floor, that I thought the canvas had a pair of titties." Crude, but hilarious. During the final scenes, the film goes on kind of long, but Clint Eastwood still manages to show all the heart he can put into a movie, and he knows how to put in the dark and tragic elements he added into many other films.
Million Dollar Baby does have some dialogue, but manages to grab a hold of your interest. There is a certain unexplainable feeling that is in the movie. It seems to have a magical quality to it. Maybe it's the fact that the relationship between Maggie and Frankie is sweet and beautiful. (Beware, it is not a romance.) It could be that you think of a girl-who knows she's poor trash-work as hard as she can with the love of Frankie. Or, it could just be the fun boxing scenes, where people beat each other up. Who knows? This is surely one of the greatest and most memorable films of the year. Not many other films capture the glory of victory like this one does. Million Dollar Baby is truly triumphant, beautiful, touching and almost flawless. There are simply not enough words to describe it.
Best Picture is only the start of the praise that this film truly deserves.
10/10
Good: Beautiful, good boxing scenes, full of heart and joy, funny, carries a certain light-hearted tone throughout
Bad: The last scene is pretty long