Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

10/10

Starring

Clint Eastwood

Hilary Swank

Morgan Freeman

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Winning the Best Picture award at the 77th Academy Awards, Million Dollar Baby is a film that makes you smile and cry at the same time. The movie's twist ending is what makes it a grand slam, and Hilary Swank, after a long time, finally pulled out a role that can be said to match the one she performed in the 1999 drama Boys Don’t Cry. She also won an Academy Award for Best Actress twice—once for Boys Don’t Cry in 1999 and the other for her role in Million Dollar Baby.

The movie is about a boxing trainer, Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), who helps an underdog amateur boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), achieve her dream. Frankie only decided to help Maggie when she persisted in training at his gym until he finally decided to help her become a professional boxer.

All with the aim that, once she’s up on her feet, he will hand her over to another manager. During training, Dunn always tells Maggie to defend herself at all times.

Morgan Freeman’s inclusion in this movie is one that makes you know that a film with this guy as your supporting actor is going to be a hit. Freeman managed to shine even behind Clint Eastwood’s huge shadow. He delivered my favorite scene in the movie, where his character, Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, an elderly former boxer and Frankie Dunn's partner, who is blind in one eye, steps into the ring to take on a younger boxer who had just bullied and knocked the wind out of an autistic young man. Dupris steps in and squares off with the younger boxer, who is hesitant at first to go toe-to-toe with an old man but later decides to square up. After the younger boxer lands enough jabs in Dupris’ face, Dupris lands just one punch, and, well, the younger boxer learns a lesson he will never forget.

The movie does have its controversy, as the trailers make you think it’s about a fighter who overcomes some odds to become great, when in fact, it’s a tragedy waiting to happen. The movie's ending is also not without its naysayers, who feel the ending was just too sad and gave the wrong message about dealing with disability.

Whether you get depressed throughout the movie, applaud its insightful portrayal of female boxing, or, like me, just love a good movie and give it its due credit… one thing is for sure—you have to see Million Dollar Baby yourself to come to your own conclusion.