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Clint Eastwood is a legendary film personality. I am a great fan of his. As an actor, I had my reservations with him, but as a storyteller, I have truly inhaled him. 'Million Dollar Baby' is amongst his finest films, a superb film, that almost reaches a Landmark level!

About a hardened trainer/manager works with a determined woman in her attempt to establish herself as a boxer. 'Million Dollar Baby' begins with some humor, then it improves itself into becoming a motivational punch, but ends as a dry and depressing saga. I adored almost everything about the film, except the final 20-25 minutes. The culmination is very depressing. In fact, one just doesn't imagine it would have to end this way! But in all fairness, this one is a winner!

Eastwood's understanding to the subject is objective and that's biggest plus point. Tom Stern's Cinematography is splendid. Joel Cox's editing is razor-sharp.

In the acting department, Hilary Swank delivers a Knock-out performance. She is the life of the show. Morgan Freeman is wonderfully restrained. Eastwood's performance, is a pure of example, of apt multi-tasking. Jay Baruchel as Danger, is flawless. Anthony Mackie is his usual self. Brian F. O'Byrne is passable.

On the whole, the list of accolades this 2004 flick received is truly unprecedented. It's got a legendary tag. From this writer, Thumbs Up!

I don't know why, but I went into the theater thinking I was about to see a female Rocky Balboa kind of deal. I left the theater in a daze. Overwhelmed by the simple truth of its conclusion. My hat to Clint Eastwood. What an extraordinary career. An artist of enormous proportions so well camouflaged behind a shy smile and a charming, clumsy attitude. I remember focusing on Clint Eastwood through a very different lens after sitting through "Pale Rider" a mythological, lyrical western. Actors love him because he, clearly, doesn't lie to them, doesn't kiss their asses. He quite simply gives them room to maneuver. Even someone like Meryl Streep, felt freer and capable to stretch herself all the way to Italy under his wing. Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Jude Law, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman yes mostly men but there was also, other than Meryl Streep, Genevieve Boujold. Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and now Hillary Swank with a performance that not even "Boys don't Cry" could predict. The film is a triumph in every department. My stomach ached from feeling. That's a compliment Mr. Eastwood. Thank you very much.

No words will do justice to this movie. Just watch.

I didn't view this film until today because I simply wasn't interested in women in boxing; however, I wish I'd seen it years ago! Hillary Swank can never make another film and this one would be her crowning glory. It takes you on a wild ride of emotions from the beginning and Clint Eastwood's curmudgeon self is part of it all. Naturally, the "voice of God" in Morgan Freeman is there to explain it all and give some meaning to what each of the characters fell. By now, everyone knows the ending but I still won't spoil it for late-comers to the film like myself. I do believe much has been made about it and it's unnecessary. Yes, you will be torn about what is morally right but you can certainly understand how Eastwood's and Swank's characters feel! Please see this film. You will understand pugilism more than ever before and you just might see some of your own self in the film! It is well worth the time!

Flawlessly written, acted and directed, MILLION DOLLAR BABY is being hymned and wreathed by the critics as the best film of 2004. They're absolutely right. "An old master's new masterpiece," the NEW YORK TIMES said in a review that was more of an open love letter to Eastwood than anything remotely resembling a critical analysis of the film itself. For once such honey-tongued critical adulation is fully merited. Dark, edgy, subtle and at times emotionally devastating, MILLION DOLLAR BABY represents the apotheosis of Eastwood's art - the most lucid and intelligently limned expression of his philosophy of the outsider, the noble loners whose personal codes of honour set them both above and apart from the compromised, corrupt societies they inhabit. The Boxing Ring As Metaphor For Life is a hoary trope almost as old as Hollywood itself, employed to varying effect in films as diverse as THE CHAMP, GOLDEN BOY, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, THE GREAT WHITE HOPE, FAT CITY, ROCKY and RAGING BULL. In MILLION DOLLAR BABY, though, Eastwood the director brings a fresh eye and an entirely fresh approach to both the setting and characterisations, virtually re-inventing this venerable sub-genre rather than simply recycling its conventions. Eastwood the actor is in fine form - a commanding if increasingly weather-beaten presence - as gym owner Frankie Dunn. A case study in loneliness, Dunn's creased face is a map of places you'd rather not go to and disappointment has clearly been a life-long companion. Co-stars Hilary Swank and the magnificent Morgan Freeman, playing Frankie's unlikely protegee Maggie Fitzgerald and friend "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, give what are without question the best performances of their respective careers: deftly underplayed, their roles provide emotionally overwhelming impacts more powerful than anything glimpsed in the film's riotous fight sequences. Forming an iron triangle forged from mutual dependence, Dunn and Dupris school the impulsive but untutored Maggie in both the techniques of boxing and the tradecraft of survival in a world pre-disposed to pulverise individualism. The canvas-floored square ring becomes the arena in which all three characters confront their various demons, battling for both victory and personal redemption. Paul Haggis' screenplay is itself a masterwork, improving on its source material without betraying the concise but compelling situations and superbly drawn characters found in F.X. Toole's short stories. And, finally, Eastwood the composer's elegiac but unobtrusive score is a minor classic of its kind, a requiem to both lost souls and lost causes. MILLION DOLLAR BABY is not only the best film released in 2004 it is also the most fully realised and richly textured major studio movie of the decade.

The movie is excellent. Hillary Swank deserves to receive the Oscar for her performance. I haven't seen much of her lately and am so glad that she was picked for this movie. She seems a natural for this role. Like she didn't even have to act, she just let her own emotions take charge. She stole every scene when she was on. Clint Eastwood is one heck of an actor and his directing of movies is even better. He is 75 years old and hope he has another 10 years of good movie making in him. Morgan Freeman is a great actor who never seems to receive the recognition he deserves. Tell others to see it because it isn't in the top 10 listing of viewed movies last week. I'm concerned the subject matter is too deep for most people and it will be pulled to make room for some lame-brain movie like Fat Albert.

I wanted to like this movie, especially since I am a fan of Clint Eastwood as a director and Hilary Swank as an actress. The previews didn't interest me at all - but the almost universal praise heaped on this film did make me want to see it.

I agree with the reviewer who said the film felt "scripted" - not only that, but watching scenes (near the beginning) with Clint and Morgan were like watching people "act" and "play the scene". Hilary Swank saves the day with her performance, believable and truthful. Clint's work later in the film is exemplary. Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman, and here he plays simply a variation on his "Driving Miss Daisy" character, mumbling through some scenes making his words incomprehensible.

I didn't feel an emotional connection to this film at all - I don't see it as "Clint's masterpiece" at all - "Mystic River" is a far superior film, which had me extremely emotionally involved. The Morgan Freeman voice-over really got on my nerves very early on. I am not a fan of voice-over - I believe it's an easy way out of explaining things rather than SHOWING them.

I can't understand all the hype about MDB - I really can't. I give it (a very generous) 7 out of 10.

Million Dollar Baby is a movie about boxing like Braveheart is a movie about men in kilts riding horses. What it is is a movie to experience if you find yourself ever entertaining thoughts about loyalty, determination, talent, no talent, age, youth, courage, fear, fate, and the pain and joy of both living and dying.

I read reviews of Million Dollar Baby and expected to like it. Roger Ebert can be soft on movies because he is plainly a big fan, but even he does not lightly toss around the M-word, masterpiece. Yet he drops it on MDB, and justly so. The story is simple and searing. A gal (Hilary Swank) with much heart and no experience aspires to be the champion of the world. She is Rocky in a sports bra. A grizzled fight trainer-manager/gym owner (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes her on. His best pal and wise-man assistant (Morgan Freemna) stands alongside them, as the plot unwinds steadily, seamlessly, picking up speed, scene by scene, act after act. Eastwood and Freeman are artists at the top of their profession and they, along with the brilliant Swank, present you the very worthy lives of three people you will care about and remember. The arena is boxing, but it might as well have been boating or baking. It is a story about values and truths that far exceed sports and movies. I walked into the Lowes Lincoln Square theater last night knowing Million Dollar Baby was taking me on a ride and willing to hop aboard. What a beautiful, memorable ride it was.

It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect trio of performers the likes of Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman in their respective roles in the emotionally-charged "Million Dollar Baby."

My favorite scenes were the early sequences in which Maggie (Swank) visits the dowdy boxing gym and co-opts Eastwood's crusty boxing trainer Frankie into becoming her mentor. Along with the veteran, retired boxer Eddie, played by Freeman, the performances were as electric as the Ali shuffle.

In the overall arc of the story of "Million Dollar Baby," there were three extraneous subplots: (1) Frankie's visits to church and his talks with the priest; (2) the story of the mentally-challenged young man named Danger, who appears in the gym and is taunted by the boxers; and (3) Maggie's family members introduced in two scenes filled with such vulgarity that much of the film's hard-earned credibility was lost. Not only would the film have worked effectively without the subplots, it would have been a much better film without them.

While Eastwood's direction was superb, much credit should also go to the designers, especially the stylish work with lighting. I cannot recall a film as dimly lit as this one, and the subdued lighting contributed substantially to the characters and mood evoked in this sensitive film. The three main performances were standouts. But this film was also a very successful team effort.

I've been infatuated with Clint Eastwood from the time I saw his first spaghetti western when I was a teenager. I've seen all the movies he's starred in and directed. And I've seen his skills as a storyteller develop, mature and grow. Throughout this period the infatuation remained constant and re-assuring. But today, after viewing 'Million Dollar Baby', I'm totally and completely in love with this man. Clint, his movie, Freeman and Swank deserve to win Oscars in every category for this film. He is a Master of his craft. I want him stick around and do it again and again!.

And I'm in love Hilary too!. She does not act - she becomes!.

This is the fifth best film of Clint Eastwood, the expert director of cinema. No matter how much we watch this movie, we cannot get enough. But this is not the proof that this movie is perfect. The completeness of this film happens when the reality in the situation it is in is harder, crueler and more crushing.

When you make a film with characters, true characters, you have won half the battle. The characters in this film are on a crash course with emptiness, until they find each other. The tired, stagnant life of the Clint Eastwood fight manager, Morgan Freeman, who has sold his needs to watch his friend, and, of course, Hillary Swank, who is trying to find someplace to keep her from ending up like her trailer trash family. If one were to simply look at the plot, it would seem pretty trite. Girl wants to be a fighter (a contemporary possibility; her gender really isn't important), manager hasn't had a fighter in years (he is a curmudgeon who sees the negative in things), and the talent will out. But then the element of tragedy rears its ugly head, and the plot becomes more complex. But it is the characterization that wins the day. We get to know and love these three people (actually a fourth; a young boxer who continues to get the crap beat out of him but who provides another example of what we should be. It is, of course, ultimately about love: love for self, love for others, and love for why we are put on this earth. I was really moved by this film. It is a masterpieces of redemption and will. It is about victory through pain.

Eastwood plays the owner of a gym where fighters train. Hillary Swank is a 31 year old waitress trying to become a fighter. At first Eastwood discourages her due to her age and lack of technique, but soon he is training her and she starts to have some success. The relationship becomes much more than that of a trainer and fighter as she takes the place of the daughter who won't speak to him and he takes the place of her family that only cares about what's in it for them. A tragedy occurs that causes Swank to ask Eastwood for a favor he feels he cannot grant.

This won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2004, but there is nothing particularly unique or compelling about it that would have caused it to beat out its competition in the Oscar race that year other than the fact that it circumstantially paralleled another story that was making headlines at the same time that the academy was voting - that of Terry Schiavo and the Herculean efforts by first the state of Florida, then the president and Congress, at keeping Terry's feeding tube from being removed when she had likely been in a vegetative state for fifteen years. The incident caused lots of people to write medical directives so that they could lessen the chance of becoming a medical wishbone and political football themselves.

Of course, I must see "THE BEST PICTURE OF 2004!", I think every movie fanatic has too. Man, cry me a river, this was a good movie! I have to admit, I had my doubts. I'm not really into boxing movies, exception: Raging Bull. But so many people told me that this was a great movie and it was. Hilary Swank, what a performance! This movie makes you feel as if anything can happen. "I got what I needed" she says to Clint Eastwood. Clint and Hilary together were absolutely perfect. They made a great team. Clint really did a great job expressing his doubts at first but believing in Hilary, it was truly inspirational.

Morgan Freeman is a remarkable actor. I'M SO HAPPY HE WON FINALLY! Even though I feel sometimes his roles are typical, he's the disrespected man, but has knowledge and helps people, he's really good at it.

I really enjoyed this movie, but just to let you know, it is a tear jerker. So you might want to have a box of Kleenex next to you. This is a wonderful film that everyone should watch. You'll feel better after you watch it, I know that sounds silly, but I'm sure that everyone else who watched it will agree with me.

10/10

Clint Eastwood must have gotten soft in his old age. While this isn't necessarily a criticism, MILLION DOLLAR BABY walks a fine line between emotionally powerful drama and sappy, overly sentimental melodrama. Fortunately despite the predictable plotting and cliché dialogue, it has a trio of excellent performances that keep it out of the kitchen sink. Front and center is Hilary Swank as Maggie, a down-on-her-luck waitress who aspires to be a boxer. Her performance is what really makes the film work due to her irrepressible spirit and down-home charm. Clint Eastwood also does an admirable job as Frankie Dunn, who reluctantly ("I don't train girls") takes a role as Maggie's trainer, manager, and mentor. And then there's Morgan Freeman, one of Frankie's former fighters, and who also co-runs a gym with him. I will admit that his presence in the film adds some depth as he is a connection to Frankie's past, but I didn't feel like he was integral to the story. Still, he had one of the film's best scenes when he shows that despite losing an eye (and being old), that he still has "it" in the ring. Beyond these three central performances, the film seems content to stick to the tired sports movie formula of having a older mentor train a younger up-and-comer, at least for the first 3/4. Despite the film having been out now for over 10 years, I still won't give away the sharp turn the story takes. At that point the film becomes something else which is more obviously heavy-handed and didn't quite work for me. It also doesn't help that the film strongly hints at the outcome very early on, robbing it of a lot of the emotional impact. And that is actually my biggest problem with the film. Not content to let the performances and story stand on their own, Paul Haggis (a producer/co-writer) insists on holding the audience's hand throughout the entire film. It didn't work for me in CRASH, and didn't really work for me here either. Still, Clint Eastwood manages to elevate the material to the point where I didn't hate myself for watching it. Overall, the three central performances are enough to loosely recommend this film, but just be aware that it is somewhat heavy-handed and relies a little too much on genre clichés.