This is not just a boxing movie. It's a boxing movie with a lot
of heart. This is a story about hope, and giving hope when all
seems lost, about dogged determination, and never giving up, about
relationships and second chances.
The multiple themes in the movie are carefully brought out throught
the excellent interaction between the various major and minor
characters, and whilst the focus of the story might seem to be on
the boxing, it never is, and you're kept glued on the screen,
exploring the narrative and backgrounds of every character
introduced. This is not to say that the action sequences are
mediocre - they are shot so subtly, that it feels as if you're in
or around the ring and swinging with the blows.
Narrative in a nutshell - Eastwood is a boxing trainer whose star
protege left him. In comes newbie white trash Swank who begs him to
train her, as she believes that he could bring her to the top of
the game. And so begins the father-daughter relationship that they
establish, as they haul themselves from fight to fight, win to win,
until the title shot where they must pay the ultimate price in this
brutal sport.
It's good to see Eastwood and Freeman team up on screen again -
character acting never had it so good, and it feels like old
friends on screen with the advice they dispense to each other.
Hillary Swank did wonders with the physical demands of this film,
and her taut body put shame in mine.
A Definite Oscar worthy contender.