Monster's Ball (2001)

Why so much hype?

Perfect cast and a good story

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The first must-see film of the year.

Monster's Ball (2001): Dir: Marc Forster / Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Sean Combs: Powerful film about racism and redemption. Title regards lifestyle and attitudes of three generations of racial prison guards. Billy Bob Thornton portrays such a guard whose father was an even bigger racist. His son befriends a black inmate on death row and he wretches at the execution. Thornton assaults him in a washroom leading to a shocking sequence where he takes his own life. Halle Berry plays the widow of the inmate whose son is struck by a car. Thornton assists her and is soon drawn in attraction. It isn't known why Thornton helps her but judging from the amount of sex it was probably lust. Unsatisfactory conclusion aided by Marc Foster's directing and top notch acting. Thornton wrestles with his past and upbringing. Berry is flawless as a waitress who is harsh to her overweight son. Heath Ledger plays his son who shows compassion towards those whom he was raised to hate. This puts him in conflict with his family. Peter Boyle is icy as Thornton's crippled and hateful father whose nature is perhaps the darkest element of the film. Sean Combs is effectively in a brief role as a criminal who is executed early on. The film focuses on hopes that society will veer away from the immoral celebration of racism. Score: 8 / 10

Just caught the last half of this movie and then read about the beginning. The underlying emotions and behavior were just too weird. On one level, the characters seemed to be portraying "real" ordinary folks going through some tough challenges. But, in the end, everything just came across as very strange. After I read about the first half, I was glad I hadn't seen it. It's just horrible and then to see how the main character had some how magically changed into a different person was just too WEIRD!!! As in not likely to have happened. Real people, whose characters make sense, would not have gone through all this in these ways. Many people do and can change their attitudes as they age and encounter new experiences, but it's a slow and unpredictable process. The only thing slow here was the pace of the movie and pace of the dialogue.

I think that an important aspect of this story is the fact that two ordinary characters, Hank and Leticia, who went through dramatic and tragic life experiences, and who live in a place where racism get apart persons of different ethnicities, are capable of developing a true love between them. Hank is a guy who worked all his life as a prison guard. His son who was also a prison guard is murdered. Leticia is a woman who works as a waiter in a café. Her husband was executed in the prison where Hank worked and her beloved son dies in consequence of having being hit by a car. They live in a place where racism is alive and where Hank's father is an example of this nasty culture. I would say that this film is much stronger and human than "Un Homme Et Une Femme" of Claude Lelouch. So much stronger, that there was no need of a musical sound track like that beautiful song of Francis Lai. In time, I don't know if the sex scenes were really necessary, or if they could have been filmed in a different way, less explicit.

Halle Berry is the most beautiful woman in the world, and a competent actress. Her Oscar for Monster's Ball is probably based more on her looks then her acting ability. Here, she is the widow of an executed murderer, Lawrence Musgrave(Sean Combs). His executioner is Hank Grotowski(Billy Bob Thornton), a racist guard whose father and son are both red necks, who don't think much of black people. Leticia(Berry), struggles as a waitress in a diner; oh yeah, the former runner up in the Miss World contest is waiting tables; give me a break. Guess what happens next? Letecia is walking down a road with her son, Tyrell, and they are struck by a car when Hank just happens by and picks them up and takes them to the hospital. The boy dies, and Halle cries on Billy Bob's shoulder. The silliness continues when they drink together and it leads to a memorable sexual encounter with a very naked Halle Berry; praise the lord. Other then her perfect body, I cannot find a reason to sit through this contrived film. Berry gets a 10 for her nude scene, but the movie is a weak 6/10.