A very sincere drama

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2010)

So many years down the line, Clint Eastwood has proved that he still has what it takes to be a great actor, as well as director. Million Dollar Baby is one of his finest efforts, so much so that he took home the best director and best picture Oscars for the film. The film is about fictional female boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, who wants nothing more than to make it to the top and to be the best. To do so, she convinces hard boiled Frankie Dunn to train her. The two become like father and daughter as Maggie becomes better and better. It is a very sincere and dramatic movie. It is not light hearted by any means and is successful at being serious without being pretentious. It is a very good film.
In one sentence this film is a dramatic character study. It is very emotional but also very smart. The story is very rich with sincere dialouge to drive it. The characters are all real for the most part. There is some melodrama, but it is always fitting for the morose dramatic tone of the film. The film is definitely not a happy one. It can be uplifting in some respects, but overall it is very depressing, but very real. It doesn't provide all the satisfaction we want in a happy ending. It doesn't try to brighten things up just to give us some sort of cathartic relief. It develops very emotionally and with utmost sincerity. It's rough but it's worth it.
The film is very well driven by great characters played by a very high quality cast. Clint Eastwood is at his emotionally charged best here. He plays the detached Frankie Dunn who is weary about training a girl at first, but grows to love her like a daughter. Their relationship is beautiful and so compelling. Hilary Swank does a fantastic job as Maggie. Her and Eastwood have a lot of chemistry and it keeps the film at a highly emotional level. Morgan Freeman plays the washed up ex-boxer Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris and his performance as well as the character himself is amazing. He plays this tragic role with such focus and sincerity. He is a sad character and it so easy to love Morgan Freeman that we feel a lot of empathy for his character as he develops. Then of course there is one final reveal in the last line of the film that rounds out his character so perfectly and, while not resolving anything, still provides some sort of hope in the bleak reality the characters find themselves in at the end of this film.
I can understand why some people wouldn't like this film. It can seem unrealistic and over-dramatic at times, but in the big picture, it is all fitting. The film doesn't try to be anything more than the dramatic piece of cinema it is. It still provides a great story with emotionally compelling characters. The only problem I had with the film was one storyline point that was left completely unresolved by the end of the film. I would have to give away too much to explain it, but it is something that should have at least been mentioned. Other than that I found this film to be a very sincere piece of dramatic cinema that was very well made in every aspect.