Most powerful movie ever

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2005)

"Million Dollar Baby," should have a category warning: this movie contains subject matter that may be too powerful for your average, literate viewer to watch, no matter what their age. When I saw "Mystic River," I was amazed, and touched by it; however, I had read the book, so there were no surprises. After seeing "Million Dollar Baby," today, I am compelled to admit that I have never left a movie in a state of shock. The irony of this film was so overwhelming and the message that it sent was so intense that I was almost unable to leave my seat when it was over. Never before have I seen the use of foreshadowing that was so refined that even when I thought I could predict the outcome of the story, I was wrong. If everyone connected to this film doesn't win an Oscar then the system no longer works. Hilary Swank could give Meryl Streep a run for the money. Clint Eastwood has surpassed Hitchcock when it comes to the element of surprise and story telling. Eastwood and Freeman were so finely tuned the score was hardly recognizable. And the title not only summed up the movie brilliantly but at the same time, bordered on being a misnomer. All I need now is to take a long recovery nap and then attempt to appreciate every day to the fullest. When this movie is released on DVD it should come with a set of emotional steak knives.