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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
When you think of boxing, who comes to mind? Is it the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali? Is it the power-hitting and most dangerous man Mike Tyson? How about the champ and legendary fighter Joe Lewis? How about Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and being the greatest defensive boxer of all time. There are so many boxers in the world that people can look at and study. Now think about the other side. Can you name 3 women boxers? Don’t look them up, but how many famous women boxers can you name? I can only think of one, and that is Laila Ali, who was an absolute beast in the ring.
Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” brings a little bit of women’s boxing into the limelight. The film is a masterpiece with being entertaining, simple, emotional, and heartbreaking. It is a story about an unlikely connection between an aging, cranky trainer and a girl who is a white trash hillbilly that says she can throw hands with the best of them. A film that is not told through the two main characters but through the eyes of a former boxer and the trainer’s wise best friend. Boxing might be the subject of this film, but it goes much deeper than things in the ring. Sometimes the real fight is what goes on outside the ring rather in it. This is by far one of the best sports films ever.
Million Dollar Baby revolves around the lives of three characters. Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is a cranky, old, maybe over the hill trainer. He has trained and managed many fighters in his lifetime. After losing one of his fighters to another promoter and manager, Frankie continues his ways until Maggie (Swank) steps into his rundown gym for training. Maggie is a white-trash 31-year-old waitress in a diner. Maggie decides to pursue her dream of becoming a boxer after realizing she will never get what she wants while working in a diner. She asks Frankie for help, but he tells her no because he is skeptical about women fighters. During one night, Scrap tells Maggie about his life and boxing career and gives her pointers on the heavy bag. After seeing this, Frankie decides to train Maggie with some stipulations. As the training and fights come along, Maggie soon realizes her dream of fighting for a title along with getting a money purse that can change her life forever.
First, significant props need to be given to Eastwood for wearing so many hats in this film. He was the director, co-producer, scored the film, and even was one of the stars. In his own way, Eastwood has become an almost iconic director than a film star. This film completely shows his direction and eye behind the camera. He plays Frankie that runs a rundown gym in LA. He reads poetry on the side and is quite the old, cranky man. He is a good trainer but overcautious and doesn’t push the envelope when trying to get his fighters a title shot. This leaves him without many fighters. Yet, his attitude changes when Maggie comes into the picture. He goes from a cranky old man to a man who is a father figure and shows that he really cares for Maggie in her darkest moments.
Now that we got good ole Clint out of the way, this film is really well put together. This is not just a boxing film but a film about relationships and overcoming some hesitations in life. Yes, the premise and most of the idea revolves around boxing, emphasizing women’s boxing. This is way out of the norm as we had Raging Bull and other boxing films. This is the first that I can think of with women’s boxing, and it is as entertaining as ever. The story is pretty much about two people who finally find common ground inside and outside the ring. In the beginning, Frankie didn’t want anything to do with Maggie. Still, after seeing some potential and convincing, he decides to, which is where the film blooms. Does Frankie get annoyed by Maggie in the ring? You bet your ass he does. Why? Because for the first couple of fights, by the time be removed the stool, she would run out, knock the person out, and he would have to put his little chair back down. So, what did he do instead as punishment? Move her up in weight class.
Besides always being in the ring, the film shows how Frankie and Maggie’s relationship develops out of the ring. They really start forming a father/daughter relationship. One of the best scenes that show this is when they both go to the diner to get pie. It is a sweet moment as Maggie explains her goals to help her mother, and Frankie explains his life.
Now, this film also has some dark moments towards the end. We see what Maggie’s family really thinks of her boxing and her. They say she is white trash when they are white trash. Maggie busts her ass to make money and buy her own house. She buys a home for her mom, and she flips out because she doesn’t think she will be able to get her welfare checks. Also, and a spoiler alert: When Maggie gets hurt and ends up in the hospital. Her family doesn’t come to visit her for over a week. They go to Disneyland before coming by with a lawyer to have Maggie sign away her boxing purse and insurance claim. It was a somber and despicable moment.
Now I will say that the boxing scenes are really well done. The cinematographer needs to be given some significant props on it. The boxing scenes looked so real and natural. The boxing scenes might even be better than the ones in Raging Bull. Actually, I am going to say they are and by far more entertaining. While Raging Bull has this individual point of view style, this film has more of a dance and flow while watching from above and even next to the competitors. We also watch Maggie’s career grow until she is ultimately a prized fighter.
Since we already talked about Eastwood, I guess it would be nice to talk about the rest of the cast. Hilary Swank is AMAZING as Maggie. When we first meet Maggie, she is a person that just wants to make a better life for herself. She is a waitress that has to rely on eating out of the trash. Yet, her determination is out of this world. She has better than average skills but needs some training. Watching her show up every day should be applauded. She is almost a great student as she listens intently to every word of advice given to her. Listen, when you have to beef up for a role, Swank did her thang and showed it with the muscles. Also, this performance was so good she won the Academy Award for it.
Now for the man, the myth, the legend Morgan Freeman. After years of waiting and acting, he finally got his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. An award well deserved. Freeman has a talent for just telling a story, and that is what he does in this film. He is the narrator, just like he was in “The Shawshank Redemption.” Freeman’s voice is perfect, as it’s not too loud but subtle. He just tells it how it is. As Scrap, he brings wisdom to the characters. He lost his eye in a fight, but that didn’t stop him. He pushes Frankie into training Maggie along with running the gym. What I like about this character is that Scrap isn’t just an observer. We see his own life when the others are off-screen and for him to knock the shit out of Anthony Mackie’s character is a highlight. The Falcon got knocked the F**k Out!
Million Dollar Baby is one of the best sports films made. It revolves around three people and how their lives are affected inside and outside the ring. We watch each character grow and get to know who they are. Each actor did a fantastic job in this film and should be applauded.
