Though not as accomplished as Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby still finds Clint Eastwood at the peak of his powers. Ripe with boxing movie clichés and slow to the point of distraction, this melancholy tale of an ageing trainer and the girl pugilist he takes under his wing nonetheless packs a stunning emotional punch. Finally delivering on the promise of Boys Don't Cry, Hilary Swank weighs in with a fiercely committed performance that is matched by the grizzled one-two of Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.

Clint plays Frankie Dunn, a retired "cut man" who now manages a dilapidated gym with one of his former fighters, Scrap (Freeman). Into his life walks Maggie (Swank), a trailer-trash wannabe who's determined to learn the ropes. Dunn's initially dismissive ("Girlie, tough ain't enough!") but is gradually won over by her resolve. As Maggie rises through the ranks, however, his old demons start to resurface.

"CLINT BRINGS DIGNITY TO THE CRUSTIEST OF GENRES"

Based on a story by trainer-turned-author F X Toole, Eastwood's latest treads ground that will be instantly familiar to anyone who has seen Rocky, Raging Bull or The Champ. And though Maggie's gender adds an intriguing new spin, there's little else that's fresh or original in this rags-to-riches saga.

As he showed with Unforgiven, however, Clint can bring dignity and pathos to the crustiest of genres. And the father-daughter bond that develops between his guilt-ridden crinkly and Swank's gritty novice comes into its own in a moving third act that takes the story and characters in a wholly unexpected direction.

Okay, so Freeman's sonorous narration is lifted wholesale from The Shawshank Redemption, while the whole woman-in-gloves thing was handled better in Girlfight. But together Eastwood and Swank make a knockout combination that is guaranteed to go a few rounds on Oscar night.