Review of Million Dollar Baby (2004) by Jack L — 08 Oct 2012

Million Dollar Baby.

"Winners are simply willing to do what losers won't".

"Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling. Beyond hope, there is a memory. Beyond their journey, there is a love.".

Quotes cited above pretty much sum up to the film's crux complemented by it's shady but exemplary narration. Clint Eastwood, the super star of yesteryear's, has always been up and above novelty as he started wielding the directorial chair. The multiple Oscar winning film leaves no stone unturned in carefully treading along Clint's beliefs at movie making and humanity.

Plot:

Maggie (Hillary Swank) is a low rung waitress from Missouri with insurmountable passion towards pugilism. She tries her level best in getting mentored by a old grumpy boxing coach Frankie (Clint Eastwood). In this journey she comes closer to Frankie's assistant Eddie (Morgan Freeman) who becomes more of her philosophical beacon than just a regular employee at the gym. Torn between her passion for sport, troubled childhood with a battered family and her urge to give back to them Maggie's ride is not any smoother. At this juncture a horrible incident befalls on her conventionally questioning the reason for hope in her life.

Analysis:

The film is loosely based on short stories by F.X. Toole originally published as "Rope Burns". The consistent treatment meted out to the film clearly indicates a translucent inspiration from a real life source. In it's entirety the film is all about passion, hardwork, success, belief and failure - it kinda looks like Clint's own derivative at five elements of humanity (tangent from five elements of nature).

One of the outstanding positives for the film is it's "originality". The sheer intensity of emotions depicted through the lead characters is so uncanny and extremely natural at the same time. You cannot help noticing Clint's sarcasm in coming up with names like Hit Pit, Scrap Iron, Big Little etc. added to the irony of troubled relations and broken trust.

Performances:

Hillary Swank as Maggie comes up with a performance of her life time. Her histrionics are palpable especially in the emotional scenes towards the end of the film. She portrays all the allowable shades of her character with extreme believability and panache. An unusual amount of philosophical edge is infused in to her character and is rightly unveiled on the big screen through her controlled but extremely forceful performance.

Clint Eastwood as a grumpy old boxing coach is simply superb. Even at this age he is a bundle of nerves and steel. The superstar directs, co-produces, enacts and tries his hand at musical score too. As expected he brings forth his unusual panache to acting and direction with a simple plot complicated by unusual situations and convoluted humane aspects. Morgan Freeman as Clint's employee does absolute justice to something he's truly the best at - emoting and enacting a character to it's teeth and skin.

Outstanding scenes:

1. Maggie sweating it out at the gym as she's vying for Frankie's attention.

2. Clint's forceful acceptance of mentoring and "training a girl".

3. Maggie's performance in ring fights.

4. Witty conversations between Frankie and Eddie.

5. Maggie getting written off by her family and the ensuing emotional trauma riding through her and.

6. Final signs of deliverance painfully administered by Frank.