Roger Ebert hailed the picture as a “masterpiece” that holds nothing less than the secrets of life and death. Million Dollar Baby (2004)Ĭlint Eastwood‘s sports drama, starring the veteran actor as a grizzled boxing coach who reluctantly trains a girl ( Hilary Swank) from the wrong side of the tracks, is along with the likes of The Hustler and select other masterworks, one of the finest sports films in history. The film peters out at some point, but the masterful opening stretches sear the mind it’s certainly worth the watch. Previously best known as an action star, Vanessa Kirby received rapturous reviews, Venice’s Volpi Cup and an Oscar nod for an astonishingly physical portrayal of a woman reeling with grief in Kornél Mundruczó‘s harrowing drama.