I was impressed, actually one of the best of the year.

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2005)

Cant say that for Aviator (it was good but not Oscar material), Ray, Sideways, and that 50th peter pan movie, but this one actually deserves a best pic nom, and quite a few others. The performances all around deserve noms, but Colin Farrel still deserves the win for actor. The story is simple, deep, but still interesting, and provides many humorous, dramatic, shocking, and entertaining moments. Much better then Mystic River, which was only worth seeing once, but this is a movie that will be remembered because you can tell Clint was passionate about it, very, and it comes into you. Its better then Rocky, so its the best boxing movie, even though there's only a total of about 20 to 30 mins of actual boxing, but even in that area it beats Rocky which had 1 fight only, the fights are sometimes funny, sometimes enthralling, and most of the time shocking. Ebert actually got one right this year, somewhat, he said this was the best film of the year, close, id say the fourth, Alexander, Troy, and Passion of the Christ are still the top three, for me, not for very many else, but i don't care, i like what i like. I give this a 9 out of a 10.