Different than what I expected...

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2005)

Maggie Fitzgerald is determined to become a boxer and wants to be trained by Frankie Dunn. Frankie has never coached girls, but Scrap makes him change his mind. Maggie learns things quickly and starts advancing towards the boxing elite. Frankie and Maggie have never really had a proper family and as they keep training they become that to one another. In the end Maggie has to face something nothing has prepared her for...
As far as the story and the message, Million Dollar Baby was very different from what I was expecting. The first half of the movie was about the training and the fighting. A little after the middle the story turns upside down. The movie could be divided into two; the first half with the fights and training and the second half with the emotionally effective drama.
The first little detail that caught my eye was the amazing collision of light and shadow. Randomly lit dim rooms make a really interesting atmosphere. Eastwood has kept this same style through the whole movie. I hope the movies he will make in the future will be as much of a treat to the eye as this one. Eastwood has also directed the actors wonderfully.
Hilary Swank, the winner of the Oscar for actress in the leading role, is amazing. Her determined and energetic attitude really impressed me. Clint Eastwood offers his best performance since Unforgiven (1992). He creates a magnificent and emotionally moving atmosphere for the important drama parts near the end. Morgan Freeman is also really good. He got the Oscar for best actor in the supporting role. I agree with the academy's choice. He is the narrator of the movie and he really does it wonderfully (quite like in The Shawshank Redemption).
I think that the only problem with the movie is the striking plot twist. The movie changes completely. I loved the latter part of the movie, but the sudden change was maybe too dramatic.
The academy chose this for the best picture. I completely agree.