'Million Dollar Baby'... Priceless

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2005)

Take a film, strip it of special effects, a drop-dead-gorgeous female lead, and a box office-friendly, money-making plot line. Replace with a soul-shaking story, timeless performances, and a bone-shattering punch that comes not in the form of explosions, sex, or gratuitous violence, but in the genius of its direction, writing, and soulful thematic delivery; you get Million Dollar Baby. The film with 'million dollar' integrity and bargain $30 million price tag lands a killer, cinematic punch square in the dignity of films with the $150 million price tag and Dollar Store insignificance.
Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), determined, full of heart and empty of pocket enters the boxing gym of the hard-shelled and well-respected trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood). Between her low-paying and hopelessly mundane waitressing job at a local diner, Maggie lands punches at Frankie's gym. Taking little notice to and simply no concern for the "girl" who has been so doggedly training in his gym; Frankie is approached by his old friend Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who has seen something in Maggie, not in the force of her blows, but the strength of her heart. Several times Maggie pleads with Frankie to train her and several times he turns her down. That is until, one night, when another shoebox full of un-opened letters returned from his daughter is filled and Frankie must decide to regain the daughter he lost. Finally accepting her offers, Frankie begins to train the scrappy and determined 31 year-old amateur. Having not in her unfortunate life seen a fraction of the love and care given to her by her new trainer, Maggie is bestowed a father figure in the most unlikely of places. Having not had anything to love and care for the longest of times, Frankie is given the daughter he lost so long ago. Fighting and sweating and bleeding, Maggie works her way to the Las Vegas title fight Frankie never participated in. All the way she is loved and grows closer with her trainer and all the way Frankie regains the fire to care for the person behind the gloves, and not just the gloves themselves.
Known for his classical and quiet approach to direction, allowing the actors and storyline to carry his films into the annuls of film hierarchy, Clint Eastwood reaches far beyond the industry's wildest expectations and lands a cinematic punch of unparalleled magnitude in this riveting modern classic. Pacing is done to perfection with well-built character development across the ensemble and general calculated patience in the maturity of the story. The viewer is allowed to ease into their seats early in the film so that they may be as comfortable as is possible before the film's enthralling climax. Simple camera movements and framing (a moniker of Eastwood) are utilized without the pretentious and dizzying camera spasms of Stone, Rodriguez and other ostentatious directors. The unadulterated ability, grit, and strength of character Eastwood exudes through the film give it its poignant, numbing effects. Simple, yet ruggedly-elegant cinematography bodes well for the overall might of the picture. Praised by his casts for allowing their ability as actors to speak through their performances and not through their costumes, make-up, or "punch-lines" and for his meticulous attention to emotions and not explosions, Eastwood's pioneering directorial integrity are ingrained in every frame of Million Dollar Baby.
Morgan Freeman delivers another Oscar-caliber performance as the warm-hearted, one-eyed ex-boxer, Eddie. Emotional presence is exuded into every line in a performance mimicking the timelessness of the role of Red in The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Eastwood's unmistakable grit and emotional veracity in his Oscar-nominated performance is simply unforgettable and brings the driest of eyes to tears. But, out-doing even the thematic valor of Freeman and Eastwood is the simply breathtaking, inspiring, and mind-numbing performance of one, Hilary Swank. In the title role of Maggie Fitzgerald, Swank is immaculate. In a portrayal that can only be characterized as miraculous, Swank brings the audience's eyes to the screen as they watch her struggle to survive, taking half-eaten food from the plates of the customers she waits-on. She brings us to the edge of its seats when she enters the ring. She brings us to cheers and revelry with each bloody, pulse-pounding, jaw-shattering first-round knockout. She brings us all to our knees in her despair after being denied the slightest scrap of gratitude after buying her odious, gold-digging, ingrate of a mother a home with what little money she has earned in her early bouts. She moves our souls, touches our hearts, and reaches to wipe-off our tears in scenes of such moving poignancy, they are simply impossible to describe in words. A flawless, awe-inspiring performance at the apex of thematic capacity.
Without giving away Million Dollar Baby's gut-wrenching climax, I must touch-on its jarring inspiration.
How valuable is something that is two-of-a-kind? How priceless is something that has happened only once before in over 550 different experiences? It is timeless. It is priceless. Until Million Dollar Baby, I had wept only once before during a film. That prestigious honor went to one of the greatest achievements in the history of the arts, Schindler's List (1993). Accompanying me to the film were two of my closest friends, one of which would cry in Finding Nemo, the other has teared-up in only a small handful of films. One, as to be expected ran out of tissues and had tears cascading down her face long after the film's credits rolled across the screen. The other, doing his very best to fight off the torrent of water building deep in his eyes, could not help but choke on his emotions. I, myself truly wept. With each tear the film was elevated to a higher level. With each falling drop, Million Dollar Baby instilled more in me, the movie-goer and me, the human being. Astounding direction, astonishing integrity, miraculous performances why we go to the movies. An inspiration.
9/10