Million Dollar Baby
Overview
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 sports drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, based on stories by F.X. Toole. The film stars Clint Eastwood as Frankie Dunn, a grizzled, aging boxing trainer; Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald, a poor, determined, and talented female boxer; and Morgan Freeman as Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, a former boxer who works as Frankie's assistant. The film is set in Los Angeles. Frankie is a trainer who has been scarred by his past. He has lost his relationship with his daughter, and he has stopped training boxers for championship fights. Maggie is a waitress who is desperate to escape her poverty. She is 31 years old, which is old for a boxer, but she is determined. She begs Frankie to train her, and he eventually agrees. The film follows Maggie's rise through the ranks of women's boxing. She wins fight after fight, and she becomes a contender for a championship. The film takes a tragic turn when Maggie is paralyzed from the neck down after a cheap shot from an opponent. She asks Frankie to kill her. He refuses, but he eventually agrees. He injects her with a fatal dose of adrenaline, and he walks away. The film ends with Frankie disappearing, never to be seen again. Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Clint Eastwood, Best Actress for Hilary Swank, and Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman. The film is a powerful, heartbreaking, and controversial meditation on mercy, morality, and the value of life.
