Million Dollar Baby review
Jan. 25th, 2005 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burntcopperJust seen. Yes, I can see exactly why it's up for so many oscars. It's *damned* good. The best film/director, definitely; although Swank, Eastwood and Freeman are magnificent, it's not anything that's really standout, as we've seen them do this type of role before. Swank really needs to play white trash more, as when she does she just seems to shine more than when playing boffin or some such. Pity it's not up for best adapted screenplay, because the story itself and the dialogue is damn good.
Anyway : basic run-down is that white-trash girl wants to fight, trainer won't train girls, she wears him down while being encouraged by his mate, he agrees to train her for fights, she rises on the circuit. So far, so cliche, yes? Except that there are a couple of left-field punches that really, completely floor you and the ending is a killer. No, I'm not going to tell you, but suffice it to say that it goes a lot beyond just the fights. The general mood is steady, and studied, and quiet - almost lazy, and Eastwood and Freeman bicker like an old married couple while Swank puts in the never-say-die enthusiasm and determination against Eastwood's old codger-ness. The fight scenes are *damn* good, and the detail of the ring-side patching up's amazing, one particular being the re-setting of a broken nose between rounds and then staunching the bloodflow for just long enough that she can get through the next round. Bit players? Really good, and they all make an impact.
Cinematography is that gritty, spare, no bones that most familiar with Eastwood's previous which works especially well on boxing stuff (it's no surprise that one of my all time faves is Daniel Day Lewis in The Boxer), and I realised that there's no soundtrack in this, or at least not one that I noticed. Training montages are devoid of inspiring songs, just the sounds of the gym and leather being pounded.
I, er, now have an urge to slash Frankie (Eastwood) and Eddie (Freeman) due to their sheer old married coupleness, bugger all lives outside the gyms and no obvious female presence in their lives beyond the occasionally alluded to daughter of Frankie's.
Anyway : basic run-down is that white-trash girl wants to fight, trainer won't train girls, she wears him down while being encouraged by his mate, he agrees to train her for fights, she rises on the circuit. So far, so cliche, yes? Except that there are a couple of left-field punches that really, completely floor you and the ending is a killer. No, I'm not going to tell you, but suffice it to say that it goes a lot beyond just the fights. The general mood is steady, and studied, and quiet - almost lazy, and Eastwood and Freeman bicker like an old married couple while Swank puts in the never-say-die enthusiasm and determination against Eastwood's old codger-ness. The fight scenes are *damn* good, and the detail of the ring-side patching up's amazing, one particular being the re-setting of a broken nose between rounds and then staunching the bloodflow for just long enough that she can get through the next round. Bit players? Really good, and they all make an impact.
Cinematography is that gritty, spare, no bones that most familiar with Eastwood's previous which works especially well on boxing stuff (it's no surprise that one of my all time faves is Daniel Day Lewis in The Boxer), and I realised that there's no soundtrack in this, or at least not one that I noticed. Training montages are devoid of inspiring songs, just the sounds of the gym and leather being pounded.
I, er, now have an urge to slash Frankie (Eastwood) and Eddie (Freeman) due to their sheer old married coupleness, bugger all lives outside the gyms and no obvious female presence in their lives beyond the occasionally alluded to daughter of Frankie's.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 11:19 pm (UTC)