Million Dollar Baby Bluray (PG-13) Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter |SwapaDVD.com

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language
Movie Release: 2004
DVD Release: 11/14/2006
Format: Blu-ray - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 2
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 2 hrs 12 mins
Studio: Warner Home Video
Members Wishing: 29
Genres: Drama, Melodrama, Sports Drama
See Also: Million Dollar Baby [2 DVDs/CD], Million Dollar Baby [Widescreen], Million Dollar Baby [Fullscreen], Million Dollar Baby [HD DVD], Million Dollar Baby [Widescreen], Million Dollar Baby [Blu-ray]

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Clint Eastwood - Frankie Dunn
Hilary Swank - Maggie Fitzgerald
Morgan Freeman - Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris
Anthony Mackie - Shawrelle Berry
Jay Baruchel - Danger Barch
Mike Colter - Big Willie Little

Jason C. (JJC) from NEWARK, NJ wrote on 9/26/2008...

You've done it again, Clint!

Clint Eastwood can easily sit amongst the table of great directors that influenced him, like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, and furthermore, the geniuses like Spielberg, Scorsese, Kubrick and Kurosawa. Not only can he deliver great westerns like "High Plains Drifter," "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and of course "Unforgiven," but look at the more deeper films like "Bird," "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," and "Mystic River." In "Million Dollar Baby," Clint is once again handling both duties, director and actor, and delivers one of the best performances of his long career (alongside his William Munny in "Unforgiven").

Clint plays Frankie Dunn, an aging boxing trainer and boxing gym owner with demons that are haunting him from all angles. Frankie is managing a great boxer with a promising future ready for a title shot, but is somewhat holding him back from that great future. Frankie is let go, with nothing else to go to but his weather-beaten life.

Running the gym with Frankie is Eddie (Morgan Freeman), a retired, broke ex-boxer that befriended and worked with Frankie late in his boxing career. Eddie pretty much runs the gym as his own, even residing in it. We also learn that Frankie has a daughter that he's trying to communicate with, but wants nothing to do with him; a dispute we never learn about.

Along comes Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a poor, southern trailer-park girl with big dreams to become a great boxer, even at the current age of 31. Working as a waitress by day, and training herself in Frankie's gym by night, Maggie has much to learn, but is a natural. Maggie introduces herself to Frankie in hopes that he will take her on and train her, but he's not at all interested claiming, "I don't train girls." Not giving up, inexperienced Maggie trains her ass off at the gym, much to Eddie's notice...who teaches her a few things, and even lets her stay at the gym after hours to practice. Frankie, still wants nothing to do with her, but after seeing that the world is pretty much against her and that she has a devoted heart, Frankie decides to take Maggie on, under his strict conditions.

Frankie shows Maggie what she's made of, and after almost begging for a fight, Maggie is quickly given away to a slimy, two-bit boxing manager, a move that in Frankie's eyes, was the proper thing to do before Maggie got too good for him. After witnessing a fight in which Maggie is being horribly managed, Frankie steps in and takes his girl back and gives her the moves and the motivation to put her opponent down, and she does. Frankie knows this girl has the magic, and he also develops a fatherly love for her.

Fight after fight, Maggie becomes undefeated, performing knock-outs in first rounds. Up the ladder she goes, but Frankie again is hesitant to give his precious boxer a title shot. It's here where we learn a little bit of Frankie's past and why he's being tormented the way he is. Eddie also shares a past story to Maggie, which really sheds some light. There's much more to tell, but I can't get into it without giving more away. This is just enough to get your beaks wet.

What a fantastic film this is; smart, effective, powerful and moving. Eastwood again achieves greatness stature as director (coming off "Mystic River"), and even more so as an actor, who's gruff, elderly and heartfelt all in the same character. Hilary Swank is amazing, and her Maggie will definitely grab a hold of your heart when you see her small dreams come true, with that journey of strong effort and will, and the events that follow it (won't get into that, see the film). Morgan Freeman, is always great in everything he does, and his Eddie is a strong note in the film. The fight scenes are very well crafted and intensely directed, but this is more than just a boxing film, it's a film about our personal journeys, our levels of strength to get there, the gain, the loss, dealing with the results life has given you and most importantly, confronting your demons.

Hands down, the best boxing film since the "Raging Bull," and will definitely be long remembered. One of the best of 2004, do not hesitate!