Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby - ****1/2

Million Dollar Baby is a film that looks astounding on paper, and after a viewing, it's even better. Clint Eastwood directs the film and stars as Frankie Dunn, the ex-boxer who reluctantly takes on Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) as his student. Morgan Freeman is astounding as Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, Dunn's ex-fighter friend, and these three together give probably the best ensemble performance of the year. The screenplay is written by Paul Haggis (Crash), and his work is so good here that he's already been hired by Eastwood to write his next film. The film's look (due in large to Tom Stern's cinematography) enhances the story's dark image. Even at 132 minutes, this film does not run long in the slightest. I've lost my list of films for 2004, but this would have almost certainly been #2 for the year. Thumbs way up.