long live Clint Eastwood!

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2005)

Hardly one year after the shady "Mystic River" (2003), "grandad" Clint Eastwood changes mood and perseveres with "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), an unusual film about women's boxing which presents none sign of quieting down from the former cowboy and "dirty Harry". He once said about his movies that they had to be before all: entertaining and compelling. Given the commercial and critical enthusiasm of his work, he well fulfilled his pledges.
On the paper, "Million Dollar Baby" nearly looks like any success story, a genre that American cinema has a liking for. Maggie Fitzerald (Hilary Swank) is a 31 year-old woman who works as a waitress in a restaurant. Perfectly aware that her life isn't much worth, she only sees boxing to find a way in life. With the help of an old coach Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) and after weeks of intense training, she knows a meteoric rise with fame and glory under her belt. But Clint Eastwood is a too demanding author to content himself to shot this kind of story and is ready to go beyond it to get more interested in the relationship between Maggie and his character Frankie. As a matter of fact, "Million Dollar Baby" diverts codes of the boxing world and success story to develop a touching friendship story between two opposite characters that will peak in the last wrenching third of the film. One the one hand, Maggie Fitzerald, ready to do anything to become the best woman boxing. She sees in Frankie Dunn, the perfect coach and eventually a father figure to enable her to reinforce her trust in herself. On the other hand, Frankie Dunn, an irascible old man whose life has especially been a series of disappointments and who tries to find a hope in redemption (I think the somewhat dreary scenery of the gymnasium reflects well his temper). But in reality, he hides a golden heart and perceives Maggie as the daughter he hasn't had but would have liked to. To tell this absorbing story of an unlikely friendship, Eastwood uses pure film-making basics: a straight-forward narrative line, lovable characters and a calm directing without exaggerations. The whole is tinged with a huge tenderness and a humor of quality to which it is impossible to resist. And just like in "Unforgiven" (1992), to hear a few guitar notes is better than a whole classical music orchestra.
A new variation of the American dream, a praise to courage and perseverance, a just description of the boxing world, a poignant father-daughter relationship. "Million Dollar Baby" combines all these things. With this monument of emotion, Clint Eastwood is really at the peak of his art. It probably won't be his last movie but one thing is sure: by getting old, he improves and currently shots better than ever. It's simple, genuine and moving cinema at its best and no wonder it seduced the jury at the Oscars ceremony earlier this year by awarding it 4 Oscars including best actress (Hilary Swank) and best director (Clint Eastwood).