"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."
-- Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris:
It is perhaps unfair to label MillionDollar Baby as a "Female version of Rocky". But for a majority of the film's first half, the focus upon the trainer and fighter brings notable similarities to Stallone's once developing relationship with Burgess Meredith.
Being the avid Rocky fan that I am, I can only commend this film for igniting such nostalgia. That said, the film offers so much more than a female reboot of this boxing classic: MillionDollar baby is emotionally challenging, thought provocative; on the whole, ultimately engaging.
Based on the collection of short stories titled ...
Advantages: Hilary Swank Disadvantages: Slow-moving at the start
Introduction
Few won't have heard of this film, which walked away with four academy awards for best motion picture, best achievement in direction, best actress in a leading role for Hilary Swank and best actor in a supporting role for Morgan Freeman. Boxing is really not my thing and the thought of watching a whole film about it really didn't appeal, but I loved Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry and it's for her alone that I watched this film. I wasn't disappointed. Hilary Swank is a superb actress and deserves every award that comes her way.
The director
Clint Eastwood has always been well-known as an actor in films such as Dirty Harry and Rawhide, but he has also moved into direction over the past few years, with such films as Bridges Over Madison County, Mystic River and MillionDollar Baby. He also had major roles in Bridges Over ...
Now I will admit that when I sat down to watch this film it was 1am and was the third film I had watched in the same day. It was a Saturday and with not much on TV it seemed like the only thing to do. I had never seen this film but my partner recommended it strongly saying she couldn't believe I hadn't seen it, I was expecting to fall asleep half way through.
The film is based on some short stories by F.X. Toole which have now been republished with the films title. The film also won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and the Best Actor and Actress in Supporting Role Awards.
The film pulled me in almost straight away, the opening scene a boxing match between two men who want a title fight, one of them takes a massive blow to the face and gets a deep cut under his eye. Then Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) enters, he is ...
