Eastwood is a master filmmaker, but sorry--this wasn't a "masterpiece".

Rating: Null/10 (10 January 2005)

My expectations are very high when I see a movie directed by Clint Eastwood, and they were further fueled by the rapturous reviews this one got...and, largely as a consequence of these expectations, I came less than overwhelmed. Despite splendid directing and wonderfully unselfish and solid performances, this fell short of my hopes. Ultimately, I'd have to agree with those who found it somewhat manipulative and, in places, downright bogus. SEMI-SPOILERS AHEAD...and NO, I am not one of those who are outraged by the suggestion that it is always a sin to want to end one's own life; I can well imagine circumstances under which such a choice is reasonable. But there was a sort of Capra-ish manipulation of the heartstrings that, for me, went against the grain of the movie's admirable efforts to achieve an authentic atmosphere. For example, I found it hard to accept the notion of Eastwood's efforts to learn Gaelic so that he could read...YEATS? When he reads Yeats--in Gaelic--to his fighter, It was bizarre, given that Yeats wrote in English. I suppose there are translations of Yeats's verse into Gaelic, but it would seem more sensible to read it in the original. This seems to have been done in an effort to show the Eastwood character as a smart guy who goes his own way, is proud of his heritage, etc. etc....but I wish it had been done in a way that was more legitimate. END SPOILERS That said, I give this film high marks for many fine qualities. Compared to it, "Rocky"--with which it shares some parallels--comes off as the potboiler it ultimately is. I only wish it had lived up to previous Eastwood films that were masterpieces, in my opinion, like "Mystic River" and "Unforgiven." But for me, this one is, in the last analysis, an honorable but somewhat flawed effort, though worth seeing.