A very good movie

If I remember correctly, I saw it when it was released but never re-watched it ever since so I was really eager to check it out again. Basically, pretty much like he would also do with ‘Changeling’, Clint Eastwood used here a very well-known template (a rag to riches tale of a boxer) but gave it an unexpected twist and the end-result was truly remarkable. Eventually, the movie was still about boxing and the rising of the main character was pretty entertaining. However, whereas boxing or other sport features just stop there and never become really compelling, Eastwood made a master move. Indeed, he further developed the story and it became something entirely different and really spellbinding to watch. So, the story was really fascinating and the acting was really good as well, resulting in a 2nd Academy award for Hilary Swank (it is rather striking that except for this movie and ‘Boys don’t cry’, Swank never did anything really amazing). To be honest, the whole thing was in fact a major Oscar bait, like many other movies directed by Eastwood back then but, this time, I thought it did work very well. Anyway, to conclude, it is a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Clint Eastwood's work.

8/10