amazing film!!!

Rating: 10/10 (24 April 2007)

first of all, i have to say that generally i am not the biggest fan of boxing movies, but this one was different and i was pleasantly surprised by how deep the film actually was...it was also, believe or not, my first Clint Eastwood film (now, i may have seen parts of other in the past, i probably just didn't know it was his work) but anyway, on to my review....
at the beginning of the film, we meet Eastwood's character, Frankie Dunn, an experienced but hardened boxing trainer who has trained numerous successful male boxers...then enter Hillary swank playing the part of Maggie Fitzgerald, a financially challenged thirty something waitress with a "trailer trash" (for lack of a better word) family. she turns to boxing to make difference in her life and help undeserving family, who do not react happily have she offers them a house in the film...however, this dream does not come easy for Maggie as the only person should wants to train her is Frankie....who doesn't train girls....however, Frankie's only friend (aside from a priest that we meet a few times in the film) is his old partner Eddie "scrap-iron" dupris. who lives is and watches over Frankie's gym. sees talent from this frustrated female boxer...and he is eventually convinced to train her after a long period of nagging him...Maggie enters Frankie's life just in time as the viewer find out about the strained relationship with his daughter who he continuously writes to but his letters are always returned to him...therefore, Frankie gets emotionally involved with his new trainee and practically adopts her and treats her as he would treat is own daughter...this comes to Maggie's advantage since Maggie's father has left the family (or so the viewer would assume as we do not see him on screen at all throughout the film)...
overall, the film is excellently done and this is definitely a surprise since from watching the special features on the DVD, one would find out that Eastwood (who has done wonderful work in both directing and acting in this film) never requested a second draft from the scriptwriter and worked right from the very first draft which amazed me since the storyline and plot was perfectly constructed...Hillary swank is also an excellent actress and i am looking forward to more work from this extremely talented woman....10 stars out of 10 is my rating!!!!!