How does a bond of love and friendship develop between two people, and how far is a person willing to go for the one he loves, are two of the central questions in Million Dollar Baby, actor/director Clint Eastwood’s follow-up to his highly acclaimed film Mystic River. Like River, Baby is also a story about redemption: here, those needing to be redeemed include Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), a boxing trainer nearing the end of his career, and Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a little-educated but determined 31-year-old who wants desperately to be a professional boxer. When Maggie shows up in Frankie’s gym, asking him to manage her, Frankie flatly refuses but is eventually nudged into the job by his right-hand man, former boxer Scrap (Morgan Freeman), who looks after the gym. After a lot of hard work, Maggie starts to fight and win, but soon things take an unexpected turn, resulting in some difficult decisions for both Maggie and Frankie.

Due to some controversial subject matter, Baby has polarized audiences in the U.S. However, I felt the decisions the characters make are entirely consistent with actions and motivations shown earlier in the film, and the phenomenal acting performances of Eastwood, Swank, and Freemen sell the plot twists. Several story points are left unresolved, which was a bit frustrating, but the questions raised make for interesting post-viewing discussions. Overall, Baby teaches some important lessons – money (even a million dollars) doesn’t buy happiness, always trying to protect yourself can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt, and family can be found in unexpected places – without being preachy, and the film is well-worth a viewing.