A Powerful and Soulful Movie About Relationships

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2005)

Clint Eastwood may be best remembered for the spaghetti westerns and "Dirty Harry" shoot-em-ups. If so, that is a shame. The past several years ago, he has made some powerful, soulful and reflective movies such as "Unforgiven." "Million Dollar Baby" is the best so far.
There is so much depth to the plot and the characters, it is hard to know where to start. It is about relationships - the ones these characters failed, the ones that have been in development for decades and the new ones that are evolving quickly.
There are so many ways in which a lesser film maker would have spoiled this movie, but not Clint Eastwood. The power of the ending is not dissipated by melodrama, but comes full force, even though there was enough commentary on the movie that the ending was spoiled for me.
The narration by the exceptional Morgan Freeman is icing on a delicious triple-layer cake. This is fine cinema.