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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!
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Million Dollar Baby
It wasn't until this movie when I realized how good Hilary Swank really is. She plays it all here. Fierce. Vulnerable. Sexy. Determined. Great movie. Hall of fame cast.
Top reviews from other countries
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- LeeReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2024
Clint Eastwood at his very best!!
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JoffreyReviewed in France on June 21, 2023
Un chef-d'œuvre émotionnellement puissant
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