A fight to the finish.

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2005)

Boxing used to be exciting. When the circus surrounding boxing became a bigger story than the matches, boxing lost its immediacy and descended to a tawdry sideshow status, like so-called professional wrestling. "Million Dollar Baby", a boxing movie that's really not about boxing is more believable than "real boxing." Clint Eastwood convinces you that he actually can train boxers, and Hillary Swank convinces you that she really can be trained to become a boxer.
But just as "The Unforgiven" was not really a movie about the Wild West gunfighters, "Million Dollar Baby" is not really a movie about boxing. Both movies are about people--their lives, personalities, and how they got that way. And both give you such an insight that you feel for the characters, and understand why and how they got that way. You also understand why they do what they have to do.
Predictably, Hillary Swank enters Frankie's(Eastwood)life unasked, unwanted, and untrained. Frankie, a tough but competent trainer does not want to take her on. Frankie has torments that keep him from taking chances on the "big" fight. Predictably, Swank's persistence forces Frankie to accept her as a fighter. Predictably, she becomes a winner. But unpredictably in her big fight...oh no, no spoiler here...watch the movie for yourself. You will agree that this is one of the best movies of the year. It certainly is Eastwood's best.
"Unforgiven," "Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby"...I hope Clint Eastwood directs another 100 movies, because they are honest, realistic looks into the lives of people in all of their complexities. 10 stars out of 10.