Some good points, but very drawn out

Rating: 4/10 (23 February 2005)

"Million Dollar Baby" is "Rocky" knockoff that can't quite get it right. In this case, the problem isn't (as usual) that there is no real characterization ("Rocky"'s greatest strength), but that the film is simply too long. I don't mean no film should be two and a half hours--but "Million Dollar Baby" feels stretched to that length.
Where a simple Cinderella story may be overdone, following it up with a moral-ethical tragedy and a tragic loss of the only thing that makes life worth living may be stretching the bounds of film storytelling. Just when everything seems heading to a conclusion in her title fight, Maggie Doyle loses everything she's fought for and not only do we have to see that, but we have to see her want to fight her way out of life and Frankie Dunn's struggle with whether to help her as she asks. Along the way, we also have to deal with the subplots of Danger Barch, a developmentally disabled kid who spends his time "training" at Frankie's gym, and Frankie's strained relationship with his daughter. All of these plots are simply too much for a film and when coupled with Eastwood's penchant for long silent shots in the darkness to present emotion turns this film into something that is simply too long and dull.
The acting is why this film has garnered so much Oscar attention and I expect will win best picture, director, actress, and supporting actor. Clint Eastwood, a master of choosing roles to hide his complete lack of talent, tries to carry too much on his back and his performance pales by comparison to the "Rocky" performance of the wonderfully talented and charismatic Burgess Meredith to the point that perhaps his career-best performance seems an utter disappointment. Meanwhile, the always-excellent Hilary Swank performs admirably in a rather bland role--a fighter who never quits but also never seems to feel much of anything else. Probably the best of the performances really comes from Morgan Freeman, as the virtuosic actor performs perfectly again, stealing the spotlight from Eastwood and Swank while hardly doing a thing.
Eastwood's direction does present a beautifully chilling, dark visual and a stark sound quality that really is quite clever and excellent. He doesn't seem to want to force anything on us with his camera, but he's definitely creating a vision and this direction truly is excellent and worthy of its Oscar contention (though I would not say worthy of its probable win).
All in all, "Million Dollar Baby" is a sentimental cry-fest with wonderful acting and beautiful direction that is simply overly boring and long. If you want to cry and you don't get bored easily, it's worth a watch. But it's not what you want if you're looking for any real action and that's what holds it back from being the masterpiece so many have claimed it to be, in my opinion. It's probably a love or hate affair for the most part, but I appreciated some elements enough that I can't hate it despite its glaring flaws.