Review of Million Dollar Baby (2004) by Aodhan R — 27 Oct 2014

A superbly acted Sports Drama and outstandingly directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood. Million Dollar Baby defines itself as a touching unforgettable movie with memorable characters.

Eastwood stars as the legendary boxing trainer Frankie Dunn, who in is elderly years, is a gym owner. When a young lady, called Maggie Fitzgerald, enters his life and his gym to gain the experience and technique required to make it to the title and become a major boxing champion, she's turned down by Frankie whose got little faith in female boxers. Quitting is not an option for Maggie when she believes it's her only chance to see a bright future ahead of her. Frankie eventually decides to train her. This movie also stars Morgan Freeman in a great supporting role as Frankie's best friend Eddie Dupris, a former fighter who Frankie trained.

It's, undoubtedly, an forgettable masterpiece and a great achievement in directing for Eastwood. The Oscar nominations and wins for this movie are well deserved and Morgan Freeman's narration in this movie is excellent and heartfelt - just the way it was in The Shawshank Redemption. The Oscar he won for Best Supporting Actor in this movie is well deserved and it's one of the best movies of his career. When I watched this I never heard of Hilary Swank before, but she played Maggie in a way that I could relate to because if I knew someone like her I'd pity her and look up to her, so Hilary definitely earned that Oscar she won. The last two out of the four Oscars it won was for Best Picture and Director - both for Eastwood. A genius whose brought a genius movie to life!