JB

Slow paced film noir style thriller. 100% art house indie but I liked it. Great murder and love scenes. The movie doesn’t answer why the Swedes are trying to kill Jack, but considering he’s a deadly assassin one can only speculate revenge is afoot. The love story is moving. Clara is remarkable in bed and her body a work of Italian art. Worth watching.

Even with an Oscar nomination, Million Dollar Baby is one of the most underrated movies in the pantheon of modern day tragedies. While one expects a Rocky-like ending for the hero, Maggie Fitzgerald, it is anything but. The movie operates on so many different levels the audience becomes engrossed in the complexities of man-God, father-daughter, teacher-protege and coach-athlete relationships, which leaves the viewer contemplating them from many different angles long after the movie is over. The ending is almost too painful to watch, yet one is glued the screen like a fly to flypaper. Redemption triumphs, however, knowing that Maggie is willing to pay the ultimate price in the pursuit of her passion and that Frankie is willing to let her go knowing she fulfilled her dream. The only question left unanswered is how Maggie’s opponent in the last fight was allowed to “win” after being warned that any further illegal hits would have her ejected. All else being said, Million Dollar Baby is a movie from the old school. They don’t make-’em like that anymore.