Eastwood triumphs yet again

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2005)

Usually when the latest 'big thing' gets released, I go to cinema and end up disappointed. With Million Dollar Baby, however; that was not the case. Clint Eastwood's latest film is a powerful blend of believable characters and raw, gritty realism. The film benefits from Clint Eastwood's assured, no frills directing style immensely as it gives the film it's potent edge, and the lack of trickery ensures that our attention is never distracted from the characters and storyline. Clint spends the first twenty minutes of the movie setting the scene, which therefore allows the audience to get to know the score, before taking us on an emotional and physical roller-coaster ride through a myriad of emotions. This allows Eastwood to play with his viewer's emotions without the necessity to concentrate on the central theme of boxing - and Million Dollar Baby is all the better a film for it.
Clint Eastwood made a name for himself by playing a character that you cant possibly disagree with. In movies like Sergio Leone's 'Dollar' trilogy, down to his own films, such as High Plains Drifter and Unforgiven; we are with Clint every step of the way, no matter what evil deeds he's doing. He perfected the anti-hero and proved that an audience can be fully behind any character. For this movie, Clint has given himself a support role, and all the faith that we would usually put him has been transferred to Hilary Swank. Hilary Swank is absolutely perfect in this movie, and anyone that says otherwise is sadly mistaken. She approaches her role with all the determination that epitomises her character on screen, and delivers a fine performance with it. Emotionally as well as physically, Swank never gives us a reason to doubt that she is Maggie Fitzgerald; the character she plays on screen. If Swank doesn't walk away with the Best Actress award for 2004, there is something seriously wrong. Despite taking a back step, Eastwood still manages to retain that which he made his name with. Once again, Eastwood is the downbeat loner - the man who comes along and changes thing; the catalyst of the story. This performance is much more mature than the work Eastwood did in his earlier movies, and may well go on to represent the twilight years of this classic actor.
The way that Eastwood gets the audience behind his central character is simply breathtaking. During the boxing scenes especially, Clint's subdued style lends them a potent realism and the audience feels every punch thrown and every wound endured. The boxing scenes are also testament to Eastwood's triumph with characterisation as well as technical potency, as we follow Maggie Fitzgerald every step of the way. When she takes a punch, we feel it too and when she delivers a blow - the audience is able to feel the adrenaline pumping, the same as the character does on screen. It's one of the hardest things to make an audience feel for a character, but Million Dollar Baby, not satisfied with just making us feel  allows us to become one with the emotions on screen. However, all is not rosy in the almost perfect garden that Eastwood has created. Basically, it's the musical score. Million Dollar Baby is a powerful film, and just the images and dialogue alone is enough to convey the story to the audience and make them feel for the characters - but for some reason, many scenes are saturated in a horrible rural style beat and it doesn't do the film any favours at all. Music almost always adds to the images on screen, but sometimes no music is better. I almost feel like I'm nitpicking as the film is so close to perfection, but it's a niggling little aspect of it that annoyed me.
Million Dollar Baby is not one of those films that comes along and changes the cinematic landscape. However, it's a powerful drama with some excellent acting, great direction and a brilliant storyline. I'm not a boxing fan, but when it comes to films like this; it doesn't matter what you like. Usually when I go to the cinema, there's a mad rush to the doors at the end  no matter what the film  but this wasn't the case with Million Dollar Baby. Everyone in the cinema sat in their seats until the end credits rolled, and although I cant speak for everyone; I did so because the film is so utterly spellbinding and I needed the time for the credits to roll to catch my breath. I don't need to say this but I will: see this movie.