not your classic 'Boxing movie'

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2016)

Million dollar baby is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank who all deliver amazing performances. Million dollar baby takes away from the classic, macho, Rocky esque boxing film. By having a female lead there really is a very unique and different vibe to the classics yet it still has the struggles and pains of pushing through to the top. I very much liked this sort of mismatch.
Hilary Swank completely embodies the character of Maggie Fitzgerald, she never just plays as Maggie but instead would just 'be; her. From the very way that she never seemed to fit in and the awkward interactions she has with other characters very much makes her portrayal very relatable and special.
Obviously one of the other most important essence in a good boxing film is the 'mentor/coach character' and Clint Eastwood nails it. I was very impressed as he has managed to pull off such a caring figure without giving off any mixed signals, it would seem that he genuinely cares for her and plays off this father figure so perfectly against the naive nature of Maggie. These two had this unique interactions that is really quite different to, say Rocky. While in Rocky we get a figure who really constantly pushes you, it really isn't quite like this father figure that Eastwood plays in this film. Because of Maggie's naivety Eastwood could really shine in this sense.
This film also tackles the subject of death and whether to let go of the one's you love, releasing them from their pains and sufferings or to 'selfishly' preserve them because of many different reasons. I liked how this was tackled with a sense of seriousness and also in a very 'realistic' way. In fact overall this film was just so real and that's what I like most about it. There was no miraculous recovery or any of such and is in that sense very relatable and understandable.
All in all this is another great, modern entry from Eastwood and probably my first introduction to actress Hilary Swank, who has very much captivated me and earned my cudos in her portrayal of Maggie.