simply terrific

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2009)

I watched this awesome movie last night on TV, and I could not stop crying for half an hour: its greatness and emotional power are really something rare and precious. It is simply incredible how the genius of Clint Eatwood was able to go beyond the physical violence of a boxing story and make it an astonishing metaphor of life. The mysterious and simple truth about life and death are so plainly but deeply concentrated in two hours.
Respecting and protecting yourself, distinguishing between the moment you have to fight and the one you have to wait, searching for the great shot of a lifetime, always recognizing one's limits, suffering till the utmost to prove one's strength, standing up after being knocked down but accepting defeat as part of life, enjoying success, but realizing that fair play is not always rewarded, and in the end, feeling when the game is over, for good: this both boxing and life teach. Also faith, however fragile and doubtful, plays a significant role, Frankie goes to mass every day to expiate some guilt of his past life, he needs to believe in something beyond man, although not being fully convinced and although there comes a time in everyone's life when you are alone with your conscience and no one but yourself can make the right decision (the priest, too, knows that religious teachings do not always go hand in hand with the troubles of life).
As the movie approached the end I seemed not to be able to stand the strong emotional engagement, I felt like changing the channel, but I did not, obviously, since it is a movie you have to feel until the utmost. Clint Eastwood is the prototype of true humanity, there are no sufficient words to express his greatness, and his pairing with the always impeccable Morgan Freeman make the story reach the deepest chords of the human soul. Hilary Swank proves to be a talented and courageous actress, in that she let herself be deprived of her natural beauty and femininity to convey the bare truth of life. It is a must see movie, one of those which make you think, cry, feel and cry again in an extreme way, a milestone in the history of cinema.