Hilary Swank stars in Clint Eastwood's film as Maggie Fitzgerald, a blue-collar woman who believes she can make it to the top in the female boxing ranks. Much against his will, she persuades ageing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to take her on, and with his sidekick Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), he takes her to the top and a title fight. Which is when the film takes a very different turn and Dunn faces guilt and doubts that conflict with his strict Catholic beliefs.
Paul Haggis's script is adapted from a story by 70-year-old trainer Jerry Boyd, and the dialogue reflects the sport: punchy but occasionally poetic, with few words wasted (although an exchange between Dunn and Dupris on the subject of socks is priceless). But the characters are superbly delineated, particularly Swank as a waitress facing a bleak, mundane life if she can't box.
The film's turning point is sudden, but what follows refuses to become bathetic as the characters must face up to a new challenge: one more punishing than anything found inside the ropes. It was no surprise when Swank and Freeman won Oscars for their performances, Eastwood for best director and the film for best picture.
Million Dollar Baby is a Film programme that first aired in 2004 and has been classified a 12 certificate.
