One of the year's best

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2005)

Clint Eastwood just won't give up. Like good wine, the older - the better, Clint just keeps delivering unforgettable moments to movie lovers willing to grasp his world of human heart. "Million dollar baby" is not a movie for everyone. Many people will see it just because the trailer looks like one of the sequels in "Rocky" franchise, the only difference for boxer being a girl. How wrong. The first half of this masterpiece gives us a graceful insight into the lives of our heroes, all carrying some sort of emotional/physical wounds. Just when you think the movie is slipping into cliché' territory of Mr. Eastwood makes a U-Turn and the next moment you're embarrassed for even coming up with the thought. Pure and simple this is a film about friendship, redemption, value of life, perseverance and above all love. Love in this film is stronger than religion, stronger than life itself, stronger than all the secular things. Eastwood shows us that love is God, however cruel his works may seem. Performances are pure brilliance : Hilary Swank shows once more that she is probably the greatest actress of younger generation. If there is justice, she will bag another Oscar. Eastwood adds such a depth to the thick-skinned but fragile Frankie Dunn that I cant't see anyone else doing it better. Morgan Freeman is exquisite as well. His soothing voice as a narrator and a mere glance at his face blows you away. For anyone who's looking for moving emotion in a movie and not just 2 hours of popcorn fun, this is a gem not to be missed. Back to back with "Mar adentro", "Million dollar baby" is the best movie of 2004!!!