Clint Eastwood + Hilary Swank + Morgan Freeman = A Knockout Masterpiece!

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2010)

Bolstered by knockout performances, balanced in all aspects of storytelling & finishing on a high note with a gut-wrenching finale, Million Dollar Baby is a wonderfully crafted, brilliantly narrated & expertly paced sports drama that may seem like just another underdog story at first but changes its course in the middle to end up as something else entirely.
The story of Million Dollar Baby follows an old, rugged & experienced but under-appreciated boxing trainer who has spent a lifetime in the ring training some incredible fighters but also finds himself being haunted by his past mistakes, for which he tries to make up by taking an amateur boxer under his wing & help her achieve her dream of becoming a professional.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film presents the actor-director in prime form & is the finest work of his directional career, in my opinion. The screenplay also deserves a mention for its character-driven narrative & the exhaustive level of depth provided to its characters makes it all the more commendable. And further refining its quality is the accomplished work in the technical department.
Production design team chips in nicely with well-detailed sets. Cinematography is easily my favourite aspect for the way its camera employs the controlled zooms, close-ups, slow-mo & sharp focus makes the drama all the more immersive, which is then further enhanced by precision lighting. Editing patiently paces the story & the background score, composed by Eastwood himself is perfectly in tune with the story.
Coming to the performances, Million Dollar Baby packs in a highly impressive cast in Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank & Morgan Freeman with all three delivering strong performances in their given roles. Eastwood is as good in front of the camera as he's behind it. Swank steals the show with her career-best performance while Freeman is pretty grounded in his role yet his input & narration play a vital role in the experience this film provides.
On an overall scale, Million Dollar Baby is one of the finest examples of sports drama that may give an impression of travelling the Rocky route for a while but a surprising twist in the middle completely ends up changing the whole equation & from there on, it's an entirely different experience. A profoundly affecting, deeply heartbreaking & thoroughly engaging cinema, Million Dollar Baby is — in pure & simple words — a knockout masterpiece. Highly recommended.