“Million Dollar Baby” is about a lot of things: boxing, redemption, glory, loyalty and faith.
That is its biggest weakness – the film tries to cover too much and inadvertently steps on its own toes. Yet, with all that said, “Million Dollar Baby” is still a solid and beautifully crafted film.
With this film, Clint Eastwood has solidified himself as not only one of America’s great actors, but as one of its finest and most talented directors. “Million Dollar Baby” is not Eastwood’s “Unforgiven,” nor is it his “Bridges of Madison County.” This film is an amalgamation of his work. “Million Dollar Baby” is not his best film, but as far as direction goes it is his most accomplished.
“Million Dollar Baby” is the story of Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), an old boxing trainer and the owner of his own boxing gym, who reluctantly begins to train a 31-year-old female fighter named Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank). Dunn is coaxed into training Maggie by his only friend, former fighter Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman). Dupris, or Scraps, as he is affectionately referred to by many, is the gym’s maintenance man and doubles as the film’s narrator.
The audience follows as Dunn turns Fitzgerald into one of the top female fighters on the planet in just two years. Her transformation is quick and brutal and, thankfully, does not use a cheesy montage. Fitzgerald is not a finesse fighter, like Muhammad Ali, nor is she an overpowering fighter like George Foreman. Rather, she is blend of both. Watching Fitzgerald in the ring is not like watching Rocky, but it is like watching Mike Tyson in the late 80s and early 90s: ferocious and unforgiving.
The film may seem like a boxing movie on the surface, but underneath it is deeper than that. It is a story about its characters. Eastwood and Swank are phenomenal in their roles and they play off each other like no other duo did in 2004.
Eastwood’s portrayal of Dunn is brilliant. Everything from the pants pulled up past his belly button to the annoyed and tired facial expressions are done with care. What Eastwood captures in Dunn is the fragility and excitement of an old man who is unwilling to forgive himself of his past demons and move on with his life. Eastwood brings a sincerity to Dunn that makes him such an engrossing character. His performance is not better then Don Cheadle’s in “Hotel Rwanda,” but his development of this character is the best of his career.
Swank outdoes herself as Fitzgerald. Her firecracker personality, combined with her realistic self-perception and unwavering dream of becoming one of the world’s top fighters, would have been too complicated for many actresses. Swank, however, not only makes Fitzgerald realistic and likeable, but also makes her uniquely original among Hollywood sports characters. It is going to be downright impossible for the Academy to not award Swank the Oscar for best actress.
If there is one scene that epitomizes these two characters, it is a scene in which Fitzgerald’s nose is broken during a fight and she begs Dunn to not forfeit. Dunn, who is terrified of ruining another boxer’s career, goes against his best judgment and snaps her nose back into place and shoves two Q-tips up her nose to stop the bleeding. Dunn informs her that she has 20 seconds before her nose turns into a sprinkler. Fifteen seconds later Fitzgerald is the winner and she hops around the ring like a five-year-old at a birthday party while Dunn shakes his head in relief and allows a small smile to creep onto his face.
Eastwood’s direction is masterful. His use of shadow is extraordinary and the images he gets from inside the ring are done with great care and precision. It is apparent that he took a lot of time deciding each and every shot, which helps the film look so great. The only downside of the direction is that the pacing of the film is intentionally slow, which in the long run helps the film but causes the beginning to feel drawn out and leaves the viewer wondering when the main story will actually start.
Because of its length (two hours and seventeen minutes) and the drawn-out beginning, the film attempts to make up for its prolonged existence by dousing the screen with themes and subplots. This movie attempts to cover too many facets of life.
This is a very good film, but it is just too cluttered to be a great one.
Warning: This film does turn very dark towards the end, and is graphic in its depiction of boxing injuries. Anyone who plans on going to see this film with the hopes of a feel-good story should stay far away.
