DVD Review: Million Dollar Baby

By Patrick Luce Jul 14, 2005, 21:32 GMT

The film swept the 2004 Academy Awards taking home Best Picture, Best Actress for Swank, Best Director for Eastwood, and Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman.

Even with its cast of legends, Million Dollar Baby is a movie about heart and it stays focused on the characters that make up the film. This style of filming, which has been seen in other Eastwood movies such as Mystic River, brings out the best in the actors and helps the audience enjoy the movie even more.

The movie’s plot follows boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (played by Eastwood) as he reluctantly agrees to help train female boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (played by Swank).

The two quickly develop a father/daughter relationship as Swank develops into a champion despite Eastwood’s attempt to keep her safe from the dangers of the boxing world.

Thrown into the mix is Scrap (played by Freeman) – Eastwood’s gym caretaker and best friend. He is the one responsible for pushing the two characters together and provides most of the film’s charms in a way only Freeman can.

The three actors all deliver Oscar worthy performances and each bring something to the screen that help craft Million Dollar Baby into one of Eastwood’s finest films - even raising it higher than the director’s accomplishments in Unforgiven.

Swank does an excellent job in the movie and truly transforms herself into the character she is portraying on the screen. You can feel her determination in every scene which makes her tragedy that much more heartbreaking towards the end. This film shows why she is such a talented actress and why she has won two Academy Awards in a relatively short career span.

Million Dollar Baby’s cast delivers the movie’s heart and passion

Eastwood’s Dunn reminds of past characters the actor has played, but also brings some levels of emotion that the actor has not presented in the past. He carries the same presence that has made him a star for decades, but adds a sort of wisdom that we have only seen in some of his recent films.

Through his narration and onscreen performance, Freeman brings the heart of the movie to life. He provides a good foil for Eastwood’s gruff persona, and helps keep the movie from dragging in some of the slower points.<!--page-->

Eastwood is one of the best directors in Hollywood

Most of the film’s problems deal with the lack of follow-up on certain plot points, such as what happens to the other boxer after Swank is injured, and a feeling that the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more development with the character of Eastwood’s daughter, but don’t feel the lack of the character hurt the film.

I personally didn’t enjoy the ending of the film, and felt that it was a bit of a letdown after becoming that attached to the characters in the movies. I did appreciate that the film doesn’t go for the “Hollywood Happy Ending,” but would have liked to see a little bit more to the final moments.

None of the film’s problems hurt the overall enjoyment of the movie or the performances of the actors. Million Dollar Baby is a film that is worth watching and is something that is enjoyable even if you aren’t a fan of boxing movies.

Million Dollar Baby's Special Features

The DVD comes in a special three-disc collectors edition that includes a second disc of special features and a third disc containing the film’s soundtrack that was composed by Eastwood.

The second disc of special features includes James Lipton Takes on Three: 25-minute roundtable with Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and moderator James Lipton; Born to Fight: examines the parallels of the movie to real-life boxer Lucia Rijker; Producers Round 15: Million Dollar Baby’s long and punchy road to the screen told through the eyes of producers Albert S. Ruddy and Tom Rosenberg, and Producer/Screenwriter Paul Haggis.

Million Dollar Baby's Main Menu

Million Dollar Baby is available now at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit our database for more information.