Million Dollar Baby: 6 out of 10
There is a common element in almost every single Clint Eastwood movie (aside from the one that co-stars a chimp). They are almost all about a man taking justice into his own hands. It takes a certain kind of arrogance to continuously make movies about this matter. And Clint Eastwood is one of the only people in Hollywood arrogant enough to have this type of arrogance.
"Million Dollar Baby" is definitely a Clint Eastwood film. There are moments of sheer ingenuity, beautiful cinematography, wonderful acting by Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, occasionally witty dialogue and edgy subject matter. But somehow it's unsatisfying.
The first half of the film is beautiful. Freeman narrates, and the two major storylines weave in and out of each other nicely.
Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) is an aging working-class waitress who wants to become a boxer. She trains every day by herself because no one will train a "girly." She is absolutely determined to make something of herself. When questioned about it she says, "If I don't have this, I don't have anything."
Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is an aging boxing coach and manager, whose star fighter has left him for a bigger name and fame. Frankie goes to church every day and harasses the priest about Biblical semantics. He has an estranged daughter who does not receive the weekly letters he sends her. His life is slowly losing meaning, and he knows it.
When Frankie and Maggie first meet, Frankie hesitates to give her a chance. But after witnessing her overwhelming determination, he finally agrees to train her. As Maggie gets better and better, she and Frankie get closer. Their relationship is that of a father and a daughter as Maggie reaches the height of women's boxing fame.
The boxing scenes are choreographed beautifully. Hilary Swank must have used some of the skills she learned while she was filming "The Next Karate Kid."
During the boxing finals, the film makes a drastic and unexpected turn. Without giving away the ending - and ultimately the point of the movie - the following paragraphs might ruin part of the movie. Proceed with caution.
Maggie ends up breaking her neck and becomes a quadriplegic.
Through this dramatic experience, Frankie realizes how much he loves Maggie, and that he would do anything for her. The punch line (get it?) of the movie is when he has to, by taking justice into his own hands.
Frankie is completely self-righteous throughout the film, and it reaches its height at the very end. In most films, a character's self-righteousness is justified, especially if the filmmakers want the character to be idolized.
In "Million Dollar Baby," however, Frankie is morally ambiguous throughout the film, yet remains self-righteous. This paradox is unjustified within the film, and is very unsettling. The implication of this, therefore, is that Eastwood wants us to find Frankie to be a strong and admirable focal character, yet gives the audience no concrete reason to think that he is. Perhaps this is why the film is so unsatisfying overall. It is a conceptually flawed movie, with spiffy packaging.
For a movie that is toting seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, one would expect something more mind-blowing than "Million Dollar Baby." Much like "Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby" has all of the elements of a good film, but leaves much to be desired. Clint Eastwood strikes again, huh?