Very Heavyweight.

Rating: 6/10 (4 October 2018)

Sometimes it's hard, years after a particular Oscar season to look back and assess why a particular film did so well. "Million Dollar Baby" is, for me, one such film. Though there are some aspects to admire, much of it feels like a fairly overt attempt to tick off "Oscar worthy" boxes.
Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) runs a boxing gym with Eddie Dupree (Morgan Freeman). Reluctantly, Frankie agrees to train and then manage Maggie (Hilary Swank) a tenacious and prodigious boxer. Eventually the pair work their way up to a Las Vegas Title Fight which has fateful consequences for the pair.
Questionable politics aside, Clint Eastwood deserves his legendary status in Hollywood and though "Million Dollar Baby" doesn't come close to matching "Unforgiven", his talent at framing a shot, and use of lighting is evident. His performance in front of the character her is a little.. one note, and brooding, misanthrope does start to wear then - even when the actions of the conclusion start to weigh heavily on him. His verbal sparring with Morgan Freeman is nice though sometimes crosses the line from funny to bizarre. I wasn't massively impressed with Hilary Swank's performance either, though her commitment to the role was admirable, the rest of the execution felt a bit forced. (I know she won the Oscar, and who am I to criticise, but still, in my opinion).
The Casting Agent did a really good job though, with early performances from Mike Colter, Margo Martindale and the MCU double bill of Anthony Mackie and Michael Pena. The trouble is, apart from Colter's Willie who serves the plot by making Frankie wary of committing to training again, the rest of the gym are just there to fill time, with a unresolved B- Story that doesn't serve the film's narrative in any way.
Did I enjoy "Million Dollar Baby"? No, how could I? How could anyone given the miserable conclusion? But did I appreciate it - somewhat. I had heard a little of the ending before seeing the film, so it wasn't as much of a bait and switch as it would have been at the time. It has, to be fair, stayed with me for the 24 hours after seeing it, but I'd also don't feel like I'll ever want to sit down and watch it again.