Nothing special, and highly predictable apart from the way the twist at the end is filled in

Rating: 6/10 (31 October 2005)

Honestly, I don't know why this movie gets a 8.4 rating, and I can't explain it with the vote demographics (all groups show the same average!). In this comment I try to explain why I think the movie is definitely not an 8+, by showing that it is predictable and has a shallow story.
First, some good things: its about a girl who want's to fight, instead of a man. This is nice as it puts some counterweight to the large number of male oriented fighting movies. They did try to put some story behind the characters, although in my view in a very shallow way that certainly doesn't deserve the label "subject matter is too deep", as seen in another comment. The filming is well done, and the fights are realistic. So, no I'm not all negative.
However, the story is highly predictable. You know Clint is going to train Hilary. You know Morgan will start the process. You know they are going to have a bond, and that this is because he wants to take care of his "surrogate" lost daughter, and she needs a father figure. Come on, this is so obvious throughout the whole movie. Further, the movie gives you the feeling that something is going to go wrong, you just don't know when or how. So even the twist is, in a sense, predictable. Also, the characters are not "deep". They are simple, and behave according to their expected stereotypes. Let me describe the characters in several words: 1. "Mistreated, unwanted hill-billy girl who lost her dad looks for father figure to take her seriously in her attempt to realize her dream." 2. "Failed boxer with 'I've been there' attitude and good hart hangs around training school and uses his gained world-understanding to help trainees" 3. "Honest, but fighting-mistakes-he-made-in-the-past, trainer has great talent and needs motivated student to get to the top. Oh yes, he happens to be a unwanted dad, too."
The only problem is that the motivated student is a girl and trainer plays it roughs, "don't train girls, go home, your old".
The complete movie is build around this, and ones you understand the characters, you can predict the movie. Let me give some examples: 1. Morgan helps Hilary to get started. Why? That's his role as all-knowing failed boxer with a good hart who is the local school helper. 2. Clint doesn't want to help Hilary in the beginning, but finally will do so. Why? He's a "boy's trainer", a real cowboy. But he has a good hart and since he is missing his own daughter, Hilary has natural appeal. It starts with a present, the boxing-ball. 3. Hilary, unwanted as she is, buys a house!! for her parents (what an original present, why do these people always buy houses for there parents), and gets a very negative reaction from here family. Yes, once unwanted always unwanted. Now both Hilary and Clint are loners that have really found each other. 4. Of-course Hilary tastes success. If you work hard you can make it in the US, at least that's what people like to believe. She gets her "one minute of fame", and Clint with her. However, it's not a Sylvester Stallone movie and Hilary ain't Rocky! So, she has to loose, and when you loose, it has to be very dramatic. So she breaks her neck and we know the rest.
To conclude, the movie is very predictable once you have understood the characters. Now, let me give you some examples of very shallow ways of trying to enrich a flat storyline: 1. Boxes full of returned letters from a mysterious daughter. 2. A negative reaction when you buy a *house* for your family. 3. The not-so-intelligent "goof" trainee gets beaten up by some other trainee. This is to make use feel bad about the other, and to give... 4. Morgan the opportunity to show his hart. He defends his favorite trainee. And, even though this beaten up is not a nice thing to do, it does seem to wake up the guy ("maybe I should stop boxing"). However, Morgan even dozes him again "everybody looses a fight sometimes". Could someone explain me why we need this whole sub-story in the movie? 5. Some vague boxing story behind the characters of Clint and Morgan, that aims at explaining (1) their special relation, (2) Clint's hesitation to push trainees to the title fights (3) Morgan's relaxed attitude. 6. The former trainee of Clint. Yeah, he has to go away in a shitty way (he dumps Clint). Clint has to have time for his new trainee.
I could go on, but I won't. I think my point is made. So could someone perhaps explain me why this movie won 4 Oscars? And please, don't tell me it is because Clint euthanizes Hilary at the end. I agree this is courageous step taken by Clint as a director, but hardly a reason for the movie to get a 8+ score. Further, what exactly is the point of this euthanization? It is done when Hilary practically commits suicide, and when she (apart from being paralyzed and feeling miserable) also lost her leg; oh yes, that was another shallow way of making us feel even more sorry for her, so that even the most conservative persons would accept euthanization. Anyway, I think my point is clear. It's a 6 at best.