Barnes & Noble

The Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2004 represents yet another triumph for Clint Eastwood, the former western star who has become one of Hollywood’s most talented and celebrated filmmakers. We can’t really do justice to Million Dollar Baby with a brief synopsis because, frankly, on paper it doesn’t seem particularly unique or innovative. Eastwood plays the grizzled owner of a rundown gym and the trainer of an up-and-coming boxer who has just abandoned him in favor of more aggressive management. Along comes Hilary Swank, a trailer-trash waitress determined to become a fighter. She hasn’t got a thing going for her except a burning desire, but that’s enough to make Clint believe the girl might be worth handling. You might think this has the making of a fairly routine rags-to-riches story, and to an extent you’d be right. But Eastwood the director -- prompted, of course, by Paul Haggis' superb script adapted from F. X. Toole’s short-story collection Rope Burns -- throws his viewers a surprise roundhouse punch in the movie’s second half, turning a seemingly predictable ring yarn into an intensely gripping drama. The carefully limned relationship between this gravel-voiced old trainer and his hardworking protégée carries the story over some pretty rugged, melodramatic terrain, but it remains firmly rooted in the expertly crafted characterizations of Eastwood, Swank, and Morgan Freeman (quietly effective as a washed-up fighter who toils in the gym). The dialogue is terse, and hardly a line is spoken that isn’t necessary. Eastwood’s lean and unpretentious direction advances the story without calling attention to its improbabilities; he richly deserves the additional Oscar he won for wielding the megaphone. The same can be said of Swank, whose own modest upbringing informed her portrayal of the ambitious young wannabe who chooses a sweaty old gymnasium to home and hearth because she wants nothing as much as success in the ring. Very much deserving of all the honors heaped upon it, Million Dollar Baby is one of those rare movies that will crawl inside your head and burrow its way into your memory. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 883929008865
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed, Repackaged, Special Packaging
• Time: 2:12:00
• Sales Rank: 23,620

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Clint Eastwood - Essential Directors