Tough ain’t enough !!! As a boxing fan who loves all the legends this movie really is a special treat as it focuses on all the guts needed before the glory…
The soothing voice of Morgan Freeman narrating gets the movie going on the right note and it never misses a beat from there. Frankie (Clint Eastwood) is superb as the around the block trainer with a tough past but a good heart, but heart alone is not enough you need more you need to be rounded. We fall in love with Maggie (Hillary Swank) as soon as she smiles and that alone deserves her the Oscar she won for this performance. Sometimes we have to fight for what we want and believe and Maggie does this 100%. Rest when you dead is another great saying and this movie is full of them. Watching Maggie skipping rope made me want to get in shape, as there is nothing more impressive than a human in perfect shape.
The movie is about more than boxing it’s about life and how we try our best to improve our own future. Our future is in our own hands in Maggie’s case her gloves and then her heart and mind. The movie is divided into two, the second half is a love story of a triangle of friends. It’s heart breaking and shows us how life is a continuous fight and that many times we almost out for the count but need to stand up and fight. When Frankie looks into Maggie’s eyes and just knows …. is powerful. In life we have difficult decisions and we don’t choose how we are born or how we die but we do have to have the will and desire to live our own life to full potential. To see tears in Clint Eastwood’s eyes and hearing Morgan Freeman voice is the final knock out blow…… A classic.