I really don’t know why I waited for the DVD to see “Million Dollar Baby.” I had heard so many good reviews for the film when it played in theatres, but still didn’t make the trek to see it. Even after it won 4 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor), I still opted to wait. Now that I have had the opportunity to watch it, I’m almost glad I did. No, that isn’t a knock on the film as much as it is a knock on theatre audiences who (at least in Texas) tend to have as many idiots per capita as your average sporting event. Only there, you’re allowed to make noise. Watching “Million Dollar Baby” in the comfort of my own home guaranteed me an unforgettable experience, with a movie that deserves a viewer’s undivided attention.

Director Clint Eastwood (as well as screenwriter Paul Haggis) took what could have been just another movie about a fighter and turned it into so much more. Eastwood, who has more than once surprised me with his meticulous direction, has created a film where the focus is on the characters more so than the circumstances surrounding them. This is not to say that the circumstances are not important, but it is the character’s motivations, actions and reactions that take center stage.

Actress Hilary Swank plays Maggie, whose one dram is to be a fighter. But not just any fighter, she is determined to be the best. She convinces trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to take her under his wing, which he does, though he doesn’t believe the ring is a place for women… period. Add to the mix Morgan Freeman as the gym’s caretaker, Scrap, and you have one hell of a dream cast. All three actors have proven themselves to be terrific actors, and here are no different. Freeman especially simply has the power to mesmerize an audience with little more than a look. (Sometimes it’s hard to imagine his having started out on the old “electric company” series.)

I can’t really get too much into the plot of “Million Dollar Baby” without giving away major spoilers, so I won’t. And that is part of what I loved so much about this film. As much as it was promoted as a film about a fighter, it goes off into directions that I never saw coming. Not plot twists mind you, but whole other storylines that elevate the experience of watching the film into much more than an unsuspecting audience might have expected. In short, it is a darn fine film.

When it originally won Best Picture, I had questioned the decision. After all, I thought there were films that deserved it more. “Hotel Rwanda” for example is a shining example of what filmmaking should be and I still stand by my opinion that it should have won, despite the fact that it wasn’t even nominated. (And Don Cheadle absolutely should have won Best Actor.) However, I completely agree with the decision to nominate “Million Dollar Baby”, and would have to place it as the second best picture of the year. It’s that good.

Warner Brothers is releasing 3 versions of the movie on DVD. The first two are simply 2-disc Widescreen and Full Screen versions (though why anybody would want Full Screen is beyond me… oh yeah… there are still trailer parks… and Texas…), while the third offers the inclusion of the CD soundtrack. I would recommend this version to those that enjoy a good soundtrack. Some people could, sadly enough, care less about a film’s music so I recommend the 2-disc set to them.

The second disc of the set includes far less extra features than I might of expected, but they are good ones nonetheless. There is a lengthy documentary called “Born to Fight” in which members of the cast talk about the film and how it reflects the real world of boxing. There is also a great roundtable conversation between Eastwood, Swank and Freeman, moderated by James Lipton. Finally, you’ll find a featurette where the producers of the film, Albert S. Ruddy, Paul Haggis and Tom Rosenberg talk about the film and how it came about. Altogether, they are all great features, but I really wanted to see more.

As I mentioned, if you get the ‘Deluxe Edition’, you’ll get the CD soundtrack. All of the music was composed by Eastwood, which never ceases to amaze me considering I’m used to seeing him as a gunfighter or Dirty Harry. Overall the soundtrack is terrific, especially is you love a little jazz thrown into your listening repertoire. Admittedly though, as in many soundtracks there are a few cuts that seem a bit repetitive, and as they are meant to punctuate a particular scene seem a tad short as an audio only.

“Million Dollar Baby” is an excellent film, and unlike most, really lives up to its hype.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman
Extras: James Lipton Interviews Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman, Born to Fight, Producers Round 15
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 7/12/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Violence, Some Disturbing Images, Thematic Material and Language)
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We'll give Million Dollar Baby an A+.