By Jared Ocana

February 4, 2004 | Sports have a strange ability to bridge emotions, and as the director and producer of Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood captures what is arguably the most barbaric of sports, boxing.

Coming off last year's Oscar-nominated Mystic River, Eastwood in this film creates a stunning masterpiece of struggle and triumph. This is his best work since 1992's Unforgiven.

The film focuses on the relationship of Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), a boxer-turned-trainer, and an uneducated emotionally wounded waitress, Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank.

Million Dollar Baby begins when Dunn's prize fighter Big Willie Little walks out on him before a title fight, and Maggie is desperately asking Dunn to train her.

Dunn's initial reactions are negative and continue to be until his longtime friend Eddie, played by Morgan Freeman, who has secretly been helping Maggie, convinces Dunn to take her on.

Dunn quickly finds that he has a protégé on his hands, and that she is a true fighter. Freeman, who previously teamed up with Eastwood in Unforgiven, is the narrator in the film and provides structural framework for the story, but it's his character's acknowledgement of knowing he is a tired, broken-down boxer that brings the most heart to the film.

The story is not of just boxing. It dives deeply into the lives of the characters -- be it the forgiveness that Dunn seeks from God and his daughter, Maggie's unwillingness to quit, or Eddie's acceptance of life and constant encouragement.

The movie is definitely not Rocky, and those who go thinking it is will be pleasantly surprised. There are only a few moments in the movie where viewers will find it bland, but the momentum of emotion never recedes and viewers will be surprised by the turn of events in the last third of the film.

Million Dollar Baby has received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best director.

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