'Million Dollar Baby' Packs a Punch

The month of March is Women's History Month, and while a Clint Eastwood-directed film may not seem like the best choice for a strong women's film, Million Dollar Baby's gripping storyline and superb cast will convince audiences otherwise.

Oscar night saw Million Dollar Baby take home four Academy Awards-Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman), Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Picture.

At 74, actor-director Clint Eastwood remains at the top of his game both in front of and behind the camera. Million Dollar Baby packs a poignant punch that effectively conveys a rough, rugged splendor that makes the film beautiful.

Eastwood plays the starring role as Frankie Dunn, an old boxing trainer/cut man that runs a dingy Los Angeles gym with Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), one of Dunn's former protégés. Maggie Fitzgerald, a never-say-die country girl from the Ozarks, is played by Hilary Swank. With such a decorated cast working under a terrific director, it's no wonder all three leading actors were nominated for Academy Awards.

The film begins with Maggie-an impoverished waitress whose primary source of sustenance is the unfinished food of customers-joining Frankie's gym and insisting that he train her to become a prize fighter. Initially he declines but Eddie's persuasion and Maggie's relentless efforts in the gym convince him otherwise.

Million Dollar Baby is a film that intentionally begins like so many rags-to-riches, zero-to-hero sports stories have in the past but eventually takes a series of quick Eastwood-like turns; gripping, powerful steps which lead to an unforgettable climax.

Million Dollar Baby is not purely a boxing movie. It has plenty of in-ring action and fight sequences but the real story has little to do with the sport itself. The film runs much deeper than a typical "conquer the world" sports flick. The story essentially focuses on the unspoken, non-sexual love story between Frankie and Maggie, a love without romance that would lead Frankie to do the unthinkable.