Evelyn Barge
A&E Editor
Clint Eastwood has done it again. His latest film, “Million Dollar Baby,” is stamped with the mark of a director who knows what he wants and just how to get it. It’s the type of film audiences have come to expect from the seasoned director, and it’s likely some moviegoers and critics will deem “Million Dollar Baby” the best high-budget film released by a major studio this year.
On that note, Warner Brothers is probably hoping that Eastwood’s flick will not only be the studio’s own “Million Dollar Baby,” but also a contender in this year’s highly competitive Oscar race.
It remains to be seen if “Million Dollar Baby” will be the popular name on the Academy Awards nominees list, but the film has already garnered two Golden Globes. Hilary Swank won the award for Best Actress in a Drama for her starring role as boxing protégé Maggie Fitzgerald. Eastwood took home the award for Best Director, an acknowledgement that could indicate “Million Dollar Baby” is a top candidate for Best Picture when the Oscars air on Feb. 27.
That “Million Dollar Baby” has been one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year is no surprise. Like an intimately crafted portrait, the film explores the dynamic relationships between its three main characters.
Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn, a weathered trainer who has seen the height of competition as a boxing manager come and go. Still a master of his craft, Dunn operates a boxing gym where he trains a rag-tag assortment of boxers, some in their prime and some with no skills at all.
Morgan Freeman, as Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris, is Dunn’s right-hand man and the general manager of the training gym. A former star fighter, Dupris cares for the gym and the boxers with a tender affection and individual attention that contrast sharply with Dunn’s outwardly gruff demeanor and demanding presence.
Swank’s performance as intrepid boxer Maggie Fitzgerald steals the show, although Eastwood and Freeman provide backing for her star power with demandingly subtle performances that strengthen “Million Dollar Baby” substantially. Their method acting proved vitally successful in the film as they transformed what could have sounded like tacky lines into heartfelt, revealing truths. Only veteran actors like Eastwood and Freeman are reliable enough to give value and meaning to such understated, but compelling, performances.
The film, although touching and tender in the right places, never compromises its position as a glance into the darkest corners of risk and despair. Dunn and Fitzgerald’s relationship is hauntingly real and refreshingly honest.
Eastwood intentionally plays with the contrast of dark and light in both the cinematography and the narrative. Major turning points in the film are accentuated by this contrasting use of light and dark. During some of the most upbeat scenes in the movie, the action takes place in nearly complete darkness. For example, when Dunn finally agrees to take on Fitzgerald as his newest trainee, viewers can barely make out shadowy figures in the background, while the light highlights only their faces and expressions. At the climax of the film, which necessarily takes place in the boxing ring, light floods the stadium and falls on every person and thing in the room.
Similar to the physical contrast between light and dark, “Million Dollar Baby” also transports the viewer through the emotional highs and lows of the narrative. Strikingly dark and discouraging in some places, “Million Dollar Baby” manages to bring the viewer back to a place where laughter is possible and hopefulness is a realistic outlook.
Highlighting the quietly unassuming plot are Dunn’s occasional spats with the priest at his church. Dunn attends mass daily, but his purpose in going is mainly to annoy the priest with frivolous theological questions. Also warmly enjoyable is the banter that continuously flows between Dunn and Dupris. Long-time friends, the loving contrast in their relationship is as laughable as it is endearing.
“Million Dollar Baby” is, by no means, a fast-paced film. But patience is a virtue for those who allow themselves to be swept away by the elegantly classic narrative.
Painfully tragic, “Million Dollar Baby” explores the fates of individuals and how people are inextricably connected at the core. The film’s darkness is not a bleak despair, but an honest struggle that forces viewers into a relationship with each of its characters and all their dynamic facets.
If there is one thing viewers can relate to, it is the tragedy and honesty of daily life punctuated by the saving vitality of relationships with others. In this way, “Million Dollar Baby” is a film that anyone can relate to, and absolutely no previous boxing experience is required.
01-20-2005
