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MILLION
DOLLAR BABY/ BEAUTIFUL BOXER
review by
Terri Wall
These two movies
are on the one hand very similar, both follow the rise of a boxer, and on
the other hand as dissimilar as possible. Million Dollar Baby
is a big-budget fictional Hollywood movie directed by a well-established actor,
Clint Eastwood, who also stars along with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman;
while Beautiful Boxer is a small independent movie from Thailand
based on a true story about Thai kickboxer Nong Toom, with no actors who are
familiar to the American movie-going public. Million Dollar Baby has
a rather stark look and is set in dingy boxing gyms and arenas, while Beautiful
Boxer is lush and colorful, showing off Thailand's beautiful scenery
and locales. And while Million Dollar Baby shows all the violence and
brutality of a boxing match, Beautiful Boxer shows the ballet-like
beauty of Thai kickboxing. Another difference is that Hilary Swank's character
has been told by her family that she will never amount to anything and by
her trainer that she is too old but she loves her sport, while Toom has an
extremely supportive family but no real passion for what he is doing.
But what they have in common is the fact that both main characters have to
fight, not only in the ring, but also to be true to their own selves, to become
what they most want to be. In Hilary Swanks' case it is to become a successful
professional fighter because, as she tells her trainer, the only time she
feels good about herself is when she is in the ring. In Nong Toom's case,
he wanted to become what he always knew he really was - a woman. Yes the story
of Beautiful Boxer is about a man who always knew he was meant to be
a woman but who through circumstances not seemingly of his own making, becomes
a very successful and famous Thai kick-boxer and then finds himself ostracized
when it is revealed he is actually a pre-operative transsexual.
Both characters find that they become more and more true to themselves as
they become more successful in the ring. In Hilary Swanks' case, she learns
to overcome her upbringing by a severely dysfunctional family. Nong Toom first
attracts the public's attention when his trainer, after learning that
Toom likes to wear make-up, tells him to wear it in the ring. Interestingly,
the first time he appears in make-up is the first time he uses his real name
in the ring.
Both films appear to be “we've seen it all before” fight movies.
However both movies take a radical turn and become much deeper and emotionally
more satisfying. I won't ruin the plot of Million Dollar Baby by
revealing the direction it takes and suggest you go to see it for yourself.
Million Dollar Baby has already been nominated for a Golden Globe Award
as Best Picture and Hilary Swank has won as Best Actress and Clint Eastwood
as Best Director.
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