Quite simply a knock out

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2005)

Clint Eastwood is a unique icon of American cinema whom I have admired even before he reached the big screen when I enjoyed his performances as Rowdie Yates in television's "Wagon Train". The longevity of his career (the first of his films as an actor was years 50 ago), the commercial success of his 58 films as an actor (whether as cowboy, cop or comedian) but, above all, the critical success of the 27 movies he has directed (especially the later work such as "Unforgiven" and "Mystic River") make him a singular figure in the cinematic firmament. In many cases, he has both starred and directed and so it is with "Million Dollar Baby" which - at the incredible age of 74 - is set to consolidate his already formidable reputation.
I went into the cinema expecting to see "Rockette" - a female version of Stallone's triumphalism in the boxing ring - but came out feeling I'd seen "Who's Fight Is It Anyway?" - a searing examination of the meaning of life and relationships. Eastwood, as the laconic and irascible boxing trainer Frankie Dunn, and Hilary Swank, as a 32 year old trailer trash waitress who wants to find herself in the ring (she put on 19 lb for the role), are individually commanding but, in their subtle interaction, they are most impressive, as she finds the father who died too early and he connects with the daughter who will not receive his letters.
The third character is a friend to each and the one who understands both from the beginning. Morgan Freeman plays Frankie's assistant Scrap in a dual role in which he is also - as he was in "The Shawshank Redemption" - the mellow-voiced and knowing narrator. Unusually for this type of movie, a considerable amount of time is focused on the training gym and the actual fight scenes are very different from "Rocky": fast, furious, and short. Indeed the fighting is essentially a metaphor for feelings and the whole work is simply a knock out.