Last year I was extremely disappointed in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, although hailed by critics and the recipient of two major Oscars, I could not get over my distaste for the depressing and upsetting nature of the film. My dislike for all the characters involved dissuaded me from finding any enjoyment in it.
With that said, I was hesitant upon my arrival to watch Million Dollar Baby as I wasn’t sure just what exactly I was in for. Was I going to suffer the same agony I went through with Mystic River? The answer to that question is a resounding, NO!
Million Dollar Baby, initially released in New York and LA in December of 2004, is by far the best movie of 2004 and I only wish I had seen it earlier to make changes in my 2004 top ten list, but once published it can’t be changed.
With Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood delivers an emotionally heartfelt film and performance for that matter. There is not a single moment you are not enraptured in the storyline, which unravels so elegantly and effortlessly you aren’t even ready for every emotional jab Eastwood hits you with.
The film tells the story of Frankie (Eastwood), an aging boxing-trainer and Maggie (Swank), his soon-to-be female boxing prodigy. Narrated by Frankie’s best friend and former boxer, Scrap (Freeman) you soon are taken into the deepest emotional experience I can remember in film in a long time.
For me to go into the emotional highs and lows you go through while watching this film would not only ruin the story, it would ruin the experience. This is a film that should be viewed with no prior knowledge of storyline or outcome as it is not only a movie to enjoy, but a movie to be experienced.
Before the screening I was arguing my point on how bad Mystic River was, but I was reminded of one simple fact, “Clint Eastwood knows how to tell a story,” and tell a story he does, rather he paints a picture of perfection as himself, Swank and Freeman act it out with impeccable ability.
Hilary Swank is an absolute knockout in her role as Maggie, portraying a character of fierce determination, insistent on being the best. Then there is Morgan Freeman, a blind-in-one-eye, ex-boxer whose every scene is played with heartfelt and genuine intensity, so much that you can’t help but fall in love with his character.
Eastwood is just as impressive, with a role that is so emotionally demanding you might not think the ex-Dirty Harry could pull it off, but in more than one instance he is going to reach into your chest and pull at your heart until you just don’t have anything left.
From the cinematography down to the very last detail, Million Dollar Baby is the film of 2004 without a doubt, and is an experience not to be missed by anyone. I can only hope that 2005 can bring us anything in comparison.
