Movie Review

If you haven't already you need to real soon, run out and see Clint Eastwood's new movie "Million Dollar Baby". Mrs. Pirate and myself treated ourselves this last weekend. This may be Clint's best and that says a hell of a lot. I don't mean it's his best Western (Unforegiven), or his best tough guy(Dirty Harry) cop flick, I mean his best story-telling effort on film.

Clint has been the master of the squint, for the wordless dialogue, for telling much without a single word and he does it again in the "Million Dollar Baby". Plus he incorporates playful dialogue between the characters adding flavor to the story.

From a story-teller's view this movie provides multiple relationships between the multiple and diverse characters with few tangents. Every aspect of the story is played out in true fashion then sewn back into the final conclusion. I did not notice any aspect of the story that was left floating after it was presented by any of the characters. You do not leave the movie house wondering what the hell was that or what was that suppose to mean and so on.

To make the story even better besides the tight construction of the story-telling the acting by Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank is exceptional as is all the supporting characters. Clint has alway been able to tell much with his eyes, in this effort he tells as much in his usual way but he makes the character real by the use of his tone, his movement and his reluctance with hints of humor peppered throughout the story.

Morgan Freeman once again provides the poor man with a wealth of experience and wisdom to share. He has mastered the character that makes you want to listen to him. To be his student. To sit in some old coffee shop and listen to his tales of life, hoping an ounce of his wisdom wears off on to you.

What can be said about Hillary Swank? Besides being one the worlds most beautiful women her true humbleness emotes from the screen as well as any actor past or present. She to can say much with a twinkle in her eye, a smirk, a stance or a smile. Her performance makes me proud to be a father of two girls. She conveys a character that seems to not only to hurdle over culturally imposed gender limitations. Limitations that say a woman shouldn't do this or that because she is a woman. The overcoming of the limitations by Swanks character is seamless and difficult to observe by the audience. It just happens. Swank doesn't play the poster-child of a down-trodded group but rather a person with a dream and the motivation to attain the goal, no matter the goal's loftiness.

Be warned this is not your usual Hollywood movie that ends in a fanciful way with everyone living happily ever after. This story could have easily been a true biography becuase it seems so real with real conclusions.