A champion that stings like a bee. (Million Dollar Baby (DVD))

Name: Ailran

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Product:	Million Dollar Baby (DVD)
Date:	07/09/05 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The acting, story and direction

Disadvantages: Not a one!

Following ‘Mystic River’ was never going to be an easy thing to do, even for a director of Clint Eastwood’s stature.
Like ‘Mystic River’ ‘Million Dollar Baby’ (henceforth known as MDB!) is a film that after 15 minutes you think you have it pegged. You can see where it is going and what is going to happen, you’ve seen the plot so often before that it is only going to be the acting that can redeem the film. Like Mystic River everything isn’t all as straightforward as you first think.

Also like ‘Mystic River’ ‘MDB’ is high on mood, emotion and characterisation. This isn’t your generic sports movie full of clichéd characters; all three main characters have a depth to them that is almost unheard of in a genre not exactly renowned for its originality.

The chemistry between Clint Eastwood (Frank Dunn) and Morgan Freeman (Eddie Dupris) is simply electric. Their friendship(?), presumably forged while making The Unforgiven, is apparent as the screen veterans work together like a well oiled machine, making the camaraderie between their characters all the more real and believable. Their banter is so realistic you get the feeling that maybe is wasn’t all scripted.

When it comes down to it MDB is about boxing, superficially at least. It is about three people whose lives revolve around their love for the noble sport, or possibly about their inability to escape from the memories, dreams and hopes it gives them?

MDB is similar to Karyn Kusamas’ excellent 1999 film ‘Girlfight’, starring Michelle Rodriguez (Fast and The Furious and Resident Evil). Like that film it is the story of a young woman who finds her self worth and dignity through boxing. Hilary Swank (Maggie Fitzgerald) is a self confessed Texan trailer trash girl who never expects to be anything other than a waitress, but finds an outlet in boxing.

MDB opens with the deep gravely tones of Morgan Freeman narrating, his deep tones adding to the dull looking, decrepit gym on the screen.
We are introduced to Frank, the owner of the gym, trainer of a fighter on the verge of greatness and once the greatest cutman in the business and Eddie, an ex-fighter and friend of Franks who now lives and works in the gym.

*Cutman is the guy who between rounds stops the bleeding caused by cuts received during the fight.

Into the gym comes Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), she wants Frank to train her and no one else. He wants nothing to do with training a woman and refuses, but as she had paid her fees for joining the gym he cannot stop her returning. She turns up day after day, training herself continuously hour after hour, day after day!

As he lives in the gym Eddie see how she stays all hours, determined to improve. He helps her, giving her Franks old speed bag to help her improve her timing and speed.

“Looks like she’s got something” Eddie
“Yeah she’s got my speed bag, wonder how she got that? Frank

Finally Frank takes her on, and reluctantly agrees to train her, from there on you’ll have to go and watch to see what happens!

As I’ve said MDB is an emotional rollercoaster of a film, it manages to tug at your heart while also bringing you moments of fist pumping, cheering as Magggie fighting with the nickname Mo Chuisle (I think!), given to her by the Gaelic learning Frank. A name he refuses to translate for her.

MDB also has a side theme of family relationships and surrogate families. Franks daughter doesn’t keep in touch with him and he hasn’t seen her for ages and Maggie’s family are still trailer trash.
The bond between them grows as they work together, you see as he becomes the father who died and she becomes like the long lost daughter.

Just to show there is a lighter side to the film there are some great interludes with Frank and his priest, as he questions some of the basic tenets of Christian faith. The gym is lightened up by the presence of Danger Barch (Jay Baruchel), a guy with high hopes but no ability.

I cannot recommend Million Dollar Baby enough. It is one of the most impressive films I’ve seen for along time.

Eastwood, Freeman and particularly Hilary Swank are all on stunning from. I don’t know what it is about Swank but give her good dramatic role and she shows what an incredibly talented actress she is, she showed this in 'Boys Don't Cry' and has now done it again. I say to her get away from rubbish like 'The Core' and get some roles you can really get your teeth into!


Details

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writer: Paul Haggins (Screenplay)
Based upon ‘Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner’ by manager/cutman Jerry Boyd under the pen name FX Toole

Running time: 137 mins

Certificate: 12

DVD Extras:

'Born To fight' - A look at women boxers

'Producers Round 15' - three producers of the film talk about how they changed the book into the film.

Interviews with Eastwood, Freeman and Swank the day after the Oscars took place.

Summary: A film that actually deserved all it's oscars.