Million Dollar Baby (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

In 2000 the independent film Girl Fight was released about women getting into boxing. In 2004 Clint Eastwood topped that with the big budget Million Dollar Baby which became a huge success. The story focuses upon Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald who wants to become a boxer, Eastwood as Frankie Dunn who first says he refuses to train women but then is won over by Maggie, and Morgan Freeman as Eddie Dupris who runs Dunn’s gym and is also the narrator of the film. What was so effective about the story was that it brought real humanity to the characters in a very brutal sport.Eastwood plays the curmudgeon which he’s done a lot of late in his career because he does it so well. As Durpis notes in a voice over Maggie was white trash and had absolutely nothing and she knew it. Boxing was the one thing that she had that made her feel like somebody. It’s Dupris who first sees the drive in Maggie and tries helping her out. Dunn on the other hand becomes even more bitter when his prize fighter leaves him for another manager and becomes a champion. The reason was because he was too cautious and treated his fighters like they were his children. That sets up the two themes of the film. One is Maggie’s attempt to become a fighter despite all the odds. The second is Dunn overcoming his trepidations about his fighters.The movie then moves into the boxing and those are done very well. In fact there’s even some comedy in how Maggie dispatches her foes.It’s impossible to describe what happens to Maggie without spoiling the movie but it really showed the writing chops of F.X. Toole who did the story and Paul Haggis who wrote the screenplay. It really brings up the relationship between Dunn and Maggie which went far beyond the ring.There’s a reason why Million Dollar Baby received such praise when it was released. It is an outstanding film with great performances by Eastwood, Swank and Freeman.C

Can there be a more beautiful film than "Million Dollar Baby"?! Very inspirational, very moving and an excellent rendition of the art of acting and directing. If you haven't watched this movie, please do for your heart will warm, run along to Maggie to chase her dreams and twist and turn along the way. No one could have better performed the cast's respective roles: Hillary Swank with her lovable hillbilly accent, Eastwood with a grim toughness to everything that he comes across and Morgan Freeman with an intense passion in his role as Scrap telling us the tale of one boxer who believed in her dreams and bent hearts and wills when setting about achieving it! Maggie utters some powerful words at the end and if you don't jerk a tear, try hitting your heart with a chisel.

This movie surpassed the art form, it moved me, and I haven't recovered yet.First off the performances, the plot and directing, the videography all of it was stellar. It's never wrong to have Morgan Freeman as the narrator but to then get him in a key supporting role and use the narration in such a moving twist at the end was beautiful. The part of a grumpy old man, haunted by past decisions only to be melted by a persistent diamond in the rough seems almost purpose built for Clint Eastwood. He still put his art form into the part, giving it just the right amount of sandy grit mixed with an overwhelming fatherly affection just waiting to spill out. I must confess that I had not followed Hillary Swank much up to this movie but I'm a fan now. She gradually transforms throughout the movie into the different roles. The transitions seem natural, unforced, and subtle enough that we are not left wondering where that came from. Part of that is helped by the amazing directing and plot that set up the story so beautifully.-----Spoilers------The plot starts by building the landscape for the story setting up the boxing gym where Eastwood's character trains champions yet he still looks after his friends in a gruff, unyielding manner. We are given glimpses of his indirect kindness which ends up being his weakness as he can't stand to see his friends get hurt and blames himself when they are. Because of his hesitance to set up higher level fights his star fighter leaves for a manager who will take him places.It's on the back of this upsetting revaluation that we meet a girl from the Midwest who sees him and decides he needs to be her fighting coach. She hasn't much but her own stubbornness to recommend herself and he flatly turns her down in a way that lets her know he would be embarrassed to train a woman. It was irritating, overtly obvious, offensive, and sad all at once. Swank shrugs off the insult and to her characters credit pushes on training herself at that very same gym paying 6 months dues ahead and working as a waitress at a dinner to get by. She is seen collecting scraps of food left by patrons doing whatever she needs to in order to get by.She befriends Morgan Freeman the gyms janitor an close friend to Eastwood's character who owns the place where he coaches his other fighters. Eastwood's character is eventually goaded into coaching her by the sheer pain of watching her do it wrong over and over, he can't stand it any longer and agrees to coach her until she's good enough to fight then she would be handed off to a manager so he could be rid of her and his name wouldn't be associated with her. It doesn't go as planned because on her first fight it's clear she was set up by the manager to fail and boost the ratings of the other fighter. Eastwood couldn't just stand by and watch it happen, his tender caring instincts take over and he ends up coaching her and managing her through the rest of the movie.My favorite seen was actually when Freeman sees that Swank is ready for the big leagues and warns her that Eastwood is holding her back. Freeman even sets it up for Swank to meet the very manager who took on Eastwood's last protégé but she decides to remain loyal to Eastwood and sticks with him.We learn that Eastwood has a daughter that he is estranged from and that he is actually writing her many letters that are all returned to sender. This heart break is the obvious cause of his fatherly affection for Swank that keeps becoming more and more obvious as the movie goes on. Eastwood even gives her a Gaelic fighting name "Mo Chuisle" which supposedly stands for "My Darling, My Blood". Swank doesn't know the meaning of it at the time and though she asks Eastwood what it means, he refuses to tell her and she honors him by not asking anyone else. That blind loyalty on her part and his affectionate fathering is what marks their relationship and touches the hearts of all who watch it. Few stories feature this type of familiar love, this deep feeling, this blind loyalty that we see here between two people who have unofficially adopted each other for lack of anyone other family that truly cared.Swank is eventually injured by a dirty swing by a stronger opponent after the bell, an injury that leaves her quadriplegic. Eastwood sticks with her through it all but she is left on a ventilator bedridden and eventually the bead sores get so bad she loses a leg to them. Her family show up only to get her to sign papers giving her estate to her mother. She is left in a rehab center unable to do anything for herself with only Eastwood there for her. The idea of living like that after having ridden a wave of fame throughout the world of boxing tormented her to the point that she begs Eastwood to end it for her. When he refuses she tries to take her own life by biting her tong. Eastwood feels responsible for her current state as it is and can't bare to see her like that but he knows he will also not be able to bare the burden of ending her life either. He wrestles with the decision before giving in. His last words to her was him telling her the meaning of the Gaelic and reassuring her that he would do as she asked.The moral dilemma was heavy, powerful and just long enough for the audience to connect with it and feel the pain of the decision. It is not a decision I believe was right, it is not something I think we should applaud, but it was what happened in this story and at least we see that the character isn't unaffected by it. He bears the full weight of the decision and never recovers.The narrator then dampens the blow to the viewers by lending us a shred of hope that there may be some ending that did turn out ok for Eastwood but it's left to our imagination. We are left to ponder the value of human life, the importance of loving family, the power of loyalty and perseverance, and the beauty of love and the tragedy of loss.Let me just say to all involved, thank you. This work was powerful, beautiful, and moving; well done and congratulations!

This is, for me, yet another Eastwood misfire. I hate to be down on a director who has done some really good films, but he has also done some less good films.As usual, it is done quite well in terms of sets, etc.But the story ... I really don't know how much to say about the story.Young woman insists on getting into boxing (women's boxing, apparently) and eventually (of course) our hero goes along.Well, you can figure the rest out for yourself.Still, unlike some of these things, this one /is/ more interesting to watch than watching paint dry or grass grow. It is, sadly, very much a downer. If you like films that depress you, this may be right up your alley.

Clint Eastwood has given us such great films over the years and there will never be another one like him. This film is about boxing but its certainly no Rocky rubbish that's for sure. It's about a woman with nothing living on scraps of food left over at the dinner where she works and coming from a family who are happy living on the social hand outs. So she sees boxing as a way out of this unhappy world that she is in. So the story begins with" Maggie" going to" Frankie Dunn's" gym where he is assisted by an old boxer" Eddie Scrap Iron Dupris" .At first Frankie wants nothing to do with helping "Maggie" learn anything about boxing and tells her she is wasting her and his time. She does not take the hint and over time "Frankie" and "Maggie start on a journey where they become like father and daughter as "Maggie" starts to enjoy a successful career in boxing. She gets a world title shot which is what she has always dreamed of. I won't tell you anymore other than to say that you will be moved and no doubt cry at the end of this magnificent film, but that's okay it's what makes us human.

I really enjoyed ‘Gran Torino’ and had the same experience here. There’s something about Clint’s films that catches one’s imagination?The storyline is very good, if stretching things a bit far at times? The final fight scene for example, would be lapped up by ‘wrestling fans’ and for me was a bridge too far? Come on Ref,’ grow a pair, kick the cheating bitch out – surely Clint should have been able to take the ‘belt’ into the hospital for her? Oh and by the way, I have reported her mother for fraudulent welfare claims and it serves her right too!Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole film - it was one of those movies that keeps you engaged throughout, even if you had to smile at times at some of the goings on! Maybe it was a little over sentimental in places, but hay, some enjoy a weepy and clutching the tissues – sorry, I just need to blow my nose!Yes, the acting was great, though at times I struggled to pick up the dialogue, but as no else has mentioned this, perhaps it’s just me? God damn it, I am a crusty now don't you know!Any film that grabs you for the whole duration, is action packed, has a good script and a fascinating storyline, coupled with excellent acting and cinematography can only mean one thing – 5 stars! Well done the ‘Man with No Name!’

The film starts slowly and despite reaching for the FF button on the remote, I stuck to my rule about giving a new movie 15 minutes before skipping forward. You need just over 2 hours clear to watch this powerful slow burner. The story develops and draws you further in and onto the dramatic twist and moving last scenes.Clint Eastwood has done a great job in the director's role and also is good as the lead charactor Frankie Dunn. Hillary Swank, as Maggie, who I hadn't seen that much before, turns in an amazing athletic, performance as the female pugilist and I really warmed to her despite not being sure about a film with women boxers in it. But it isn't really about boxing, it's about the two characters and how they develop and grow as their relationship develops. Frankie has a daughter who is estranged for some reason, and Maggie's father died when she was young. So they sort of fill in gaps for each other. Don't get the idea that it's all schmaltzy and sentimental though.Morgan Freeman narrates and also plays Frankie's partner 'Scrap' and he adds his fantastic presence and voice to the story.I won't say any more because you have to see the movie unfold to appreciate it, but safe to say there are some big questions to address which you don't see often in a mainstream film. All the characters work well together in this, which is a sign of a good director, and you will be left thinking about the movie after the credits roll.

One of Eastwood's most touching films, with a surprising twist that change the subject of the film itself and give us a point of view on characters and life in general that is even more bitter than the Clint we know and totally opposite to any mainstream and hollywood approach to the usual clichè of sport as a metaphor of american dream (work hard and you will win). And it is also one of his films that show is most liberal side, although very personal and different from standard liberal views. Again, and here more than ever, Clint's characters are alone, not perfect and constantly fight against life because, in fact, they have a conception of life, values, and people that puts them away and on the edge of the standard morality or hypocrisy. And so is Clint and his storytelling.Maybe one of last Clint's great films, along with Mystic River, the Iwojima double film and Gran Torino.

There is nothing new here. Clint Eastwood is gritty character with a good heart. Morgan Freeman plays the support role well. Hilary Swank is great as an underdog who convinces the cynical Eastwood to train her to be a boxer.Swank is excellent as Maggie Fitzgerald, the waitress who is so poor she has to eat her customers leftovers. Boxing is her ticket out of poverty, and Swank plays the role with a balance of naivete and cold determination.Eastwood is Frankie Dunn, a veteran manager of boxers and owner of a boxing gym. Of course, he is reluctant to train Maggie at first but, as you would expect, he caves in (with some rules, of course). Dunn is a man who has seen it all - enough to know what to expect, and enough to know that regret and glory are both part of boxing.It is the usual tale of an underdog fighting to the top, but the key is in how the story is told. Characters you sympathise with and cheer for, though are still all too human. Like the best sports films, this is more than just a tale of the sport, it is a tale about people and what they do with their lives. It is about what it means to have a chance at glory, and what it means to fail and have regrets.Without giving away the ending, I found this a tough but absorbing watch. Even if you have no interest in boxing - I do not care for it as a sport - this is a film well worth your time. That is more than what you can say for other winners of the Best Picture Oscar.