contrived

Rating: 5/10 (11 February 2005)

Clint Eastwood is awesome. From the old spaghetti westerns, to Unforgiven I've enjoyed his work. MDB, on the other hand, is the 109th fight he should have never done. This film relies on stereotyped devices to articulate a fruitless, wayward journey to nowhere. Swank is somewhat endearing as the slightly vacant fighter doggedly pursuing...pursuing a fight. Why, no reason. OK, because she's poor. Clint is an older, softer Josey Wales with just a touch more humor. Poor Josey, matured into old age where he has to hang out with girls and wear his pants just below the breast. Freeman is just driving Miss Daisy (with perhaps a nostalgic urge to get to zihuatanejo). Morgan and Eastwood have their grumpy old men moments that can bring a chuckle. The high jinx of the characters in the gym would make for a great counterpart to the dodge ball crew. The squat, butt back, face forward fighting in the ring looks like 12 year old fruitcakes (not that there is anything wrong with that) slap fighting. I'll concede an exciting moment or two but in the end it collapses into a Van Damme Bloodsport fight scene remake. The reason that the critics are getting so misty is that the good guy loses. Well, that and the fact that it is part of our moral fiber to be nice to old people. $1000K nina gets a 1-2-3 punch with that; old to the point of dead writer, old actor/ director/icon, old buddy. Knockout! I have yet to see The Aviator, but Finding Neverland, Ray, and Sideways tell much more compelling stories. Clint isn't done, but this was not the story or the role. The tube should have been pulled before the opening bell.