Since I see a lot of movies, I've seen just about every reaction from a crowd. At the end of a movie, I've seen them applaud, cheer, walk out in disgust, laugh until they cried, or, most often, just walk out without really being affected by what they'd seen. As we shuffle forward towards the exit, I listen to their conversations, and usually they talk about the movie for as long as it takes to leave the theater, then it's all about where to go and what to eat, or who to meet; the movie already forgotten.
Not last night.
When the closing credits started running and the house lights came up, the crowd just sat there, quietly stunned and emotionally exhausted. We filed slowly out of the theater, still silent, still lost in the story of Maggie, Frankie, and Scrap.
I was lucky enough to go into this movie without knowing what was going to happen next, and that is the way it should be seen. Maybe later, I'll write a fuller review and deal with the story, but I want you to see it first, fresh; let Mr. Eastwood work his magic unhindered.
And it is magic.
Here's what I will say. It's not surprising the Eastwood is a composer; he makes his movie like composers make music. Just as not every phrase in an accompaniment is necessary to carry the melody, these small embellishments make a song memorable. In the same way, Eastwood allows the movie to progress slowly, using some scenes like grace notes, to deepen our understanding of his characters. These scenes are not strictly necessary to the story, but the movie would be lessened by their absence.
With a cast and crew this talented, it's obvious that the performances will all be great, and they are; Eastwood has a tremendous gift for direction that allows his actors to move beyond the words of the script and become the characters they portray. Morgan Freeman plays Scrap, a retired fighter who helps Frankie run the gym. He also provides the narration for the movie, but this is no reprise of his role from Shawshank Redemption. While there are similarities, Scrap's telling of this story is much darker. He speaks with almost a complete lack of emotion, yet we can hear some emotion that's being repressed in his voice, some monumental regret, tempered by the resignation of having carried too many other regrets. Clint Eastwood is Frankie, and manager/trainer/cutman who owns the gym and manages a fighter from time to time. His character is a riddle we never get to solve, but he's familiar at the same time. It's a role Eastwood has played many times before, a guilt ridden old man not looking for redemption, but offered it anyway. Finally, Hilary Swank plays Maggie, the girl who wants to be a fighter. Her character could be a cliche, the plucky underdog who wants to win, but her performance rises above convention, bringing Maggie to life. Her story is common, but she isn't.
And that's all I'm going to say about the movie for right now. It's absolutely worth seeing, and is my pick so far for the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. Of course, there are still movies to see, but it's going to be very difficult to top this one.
Posted by Rich at January 30, 2005 11:56 PM | TrackBack