X
- 2001
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 51 m
- 2001
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 51 m
Summary A hard-hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. It is the story of Hank (Thornton), an embittered prison guard working on Death Row in rural Georgia. He begins an unlikely but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Berry), the wife of a man he has just executed. (Lions Gate Films)
Directed By: Marc Forster
Written By: Milo Addica, Will Rokos
- 2001
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 51 m
- 2001
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 51 m
Monster's Ball
69
3.8
Where to Watch
Summary A hard-hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. It is the story of Hank (Thornton), an embittered prison guard working on Death Row in rural Georgia. He begins an unlikely but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Berry), the wife of a man he has just executed. (Lions Gate Films)
Directed By: Marc Forster
Written By: Milo Addica, Will Rokos
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
69
78% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
19% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
69
78% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
19% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
As for myself, as Leticia rejoined Hank in the last shot of the movie, I was thinking about her as deeply and urgently as about any movie character I can remember.
The raw intimacy of some of the scenes -- whether they take place at a diner, in the death house or in the bedroom -- is breathtaking.
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 107 User Ratings
3.8
33% Positive
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
20% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
48% Negative
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 107 User Ratings
3.8
33% Positive
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
20% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
48% Negative
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
Weird good, weirdygood. :D Lack of soundtracks, sounds, musiiiiiiiiic. But I do not get why people hated this movie,but I would blame directing for that. Not very well captured moments from the story. This kind of mixed salad, including to many stories in the bowl, without really developing everyone of them. For example how Hank respected through out the whole movie his father, bear him and was like him, especially his racist attitude. Suddenly, he decided to stand up and face him truly. Monster's Ball takes points from me, because of sincere, real feeling. Some movies tend to explain every move of the actors, like why they do something and suddenly they return the viewer to an old scene. Here, just the viewer himself should have felt the reason, the decisions and emotions of the characters. Also wasn't depressing for me.
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The cast is uniformly superb, and Marc Forster's attentive direction gives proper weight to each perplexing emotion. Strip away the strident melodrama, and you have this season's moodiest, most adult love story.
Its ethical and intellectual insights wane when the love story kicks in, weakening what might have been a much deeper movie. Still, its performances are wonderful to watch.
Berry delivers an extraordinary performance that will startle even her most faithful fans.
Wastes a ton of potent material.
When a movie wrenches you with the deaths of children then leaves you with nothing to take home but your confusion, it can make you thirsty for the blood of directors.
Monster's Ball is just an average film with excellent performances. While the acting can cover up many of its blemishes, the film crumbles into nothing but a safe Hollywood romance between two very different people who decide to solve racism together. The first half of the film, however, is exceptional. Telling the story of a death row inmate who has seemingly been rehabilitated, but still must die, the first half is incredibly tragic. The second half is just a corrections officer stealing the dead guy's girl without ever telling her. A thoroughly Southern film, Monster's Ball is the both the best of times and the worst times with the final product being almost as tragic as the first half.
Pairing together corrections officer Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) with Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry), Monster's Ball is largely a story about prejudice. Hank is mostly prejudiced himself, but nothing like his father Buck (Peter Boyle). His son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), is more open and is perceived as being soft by his father and grandfather. All corrections officers (though Buck is retired), Hank and Sonny must preside over the electrocution of Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs). A docile and rehabilitated man, this portion is tragic as we see him display his artistic talents and say goodbye to his wife and son. In many ways, director Marc Forster channels The Green Mile, which had come out two years prior. Also a parable about race, Forster merely discards the magical negro angle and the innocent messenger of God portion. Instead, he opts for a realistic and gritty portrayal of electrocution without any of the Hollywoodized elements. For this, Monster's Ball is terrifically rewarding in the first half. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs shocked me in this film with a terrifically reserved and emotional performance. Trying to put on a tough face while coping with the incredible turmoil of knowing you are set to die, his performance as Lawrence steals the film. It is a shame he has not really been given more chances to act in better films, because he truly nails this role.
This first half also begins to introduce us to Leticia and her relationship with her son. Obese for his age, Leticia is meticulous in trying to get him to lose weight, but he cannot help himself from eating. Obviously torn apart by the death of Lawrence, Berry does a tremendous job in the first half and when with her son. Down on her luck with a busted car and nearing eviction from her home, Berry plays a woman without much. She gets less when even more tragic occurrences arise, but throughout Berry is terrific. Emotionally raw, yet distant, she turns in a truly somber performance that earned her an Oscar and rightfully so. However, unfortunately for Berry, the film gets worse when she is on screen more as it means it is time for the bad romance between her and Hank. Beginning to have sex with her when she is emotionally distraught to concealing that he was a corrections officer when Lawrence died, this relationship is always doomed. Of course, the film ends with her knowing and him never mentioning a thing. For many, this may be realistic and authentic with how their relationship is more important than one element, but this one element is pretty big. It is not like Hank could have stopped the execution, but is it not common courtesy to let somebody know you saw their husband die before you begin sleeping with them? Seems like the right thing to do, but Forster's romance is so half-baked and emotionally exploitative, this is hardly the only issue with the second half. Even worse, the second half is incredibly dull. After an intense and emotional first half, the second half resorts to a long and drawn out sex scene that adds nothing to the film and Hank jumping the gun repeatedly in a relationship that is doomed to fail (declaring she is his girlfriend, kicking his racist dad out of the house, and naming his gas station after her). This romance is supposed to be subtle and authentic, but just feels like watching paint dry.
A mixed bag, the first half of Monster's Ball is excellent. If only that could have been the whole film though, as the second half moves at a snail's pace and sort of just dies at the end. Though the acting is excellent - particularly by Halle Berry, Sean Combs, and the always magnificent Peter Boyle - the film's second half just feels too convenient and without any sort of emotional pay-off. It just lingers and drags until Forster feels the film is long enough to mercifully end it all.
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Bleak and depressing which doesn't make for an overly enjoyable film. The performances are touted as the standout of the piece and it's hard to not say that if it wasn't for them this film wouldn't be worth watching at all. The casting team really take the credit for any high scores the film receives. The performances are top notch individually however the chemistry between the leads is lacking. Their is little to believe in that these two would become a couple . Contrivance also plays a large part to how they meet. Whether this is to do with the writing or direction it is hard to say but although Thornton's performance is excellent (he is fast becoming one of my favourite chameleons), his character border on the line of stubborn hard nut to naive and feeble. This is obviously supposed to be the transformation but it feel unheralded. The inciting incident that instigates this journey is rushed, unmotivated and confusing which leaves a sour taste right from the off. The problems far outweigh anything else. Not enough Ledger, far too slow in places, too morbid, lack of explanation or pay-offs and a resolution that resolves little. Perhaps it is too close to how people live in that some people's lives are just tragic but as a piece of entertainment to watch on a Friday night it is the opposite of what you want to see. Few scenes strike a cord but not as highly as the performances warrant.
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Monster's Ball is a movie that suffers from bad writing and hit or miss directing, but is ultimately salvaged by some incredible acting performances; particularly on the parts of Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, and Billy Bob Thornton. The script is just all over the place in terms of tone. There is a very clear difference between the first hour and the second hour, and the main problem is that they do not go well together. Each half is almost a good movie when standing on it's own. In terms of direction, Monster's Ball sometimes takes on a mythic quality in terms of race relations in the United States, and in terms of people who are suffering from emotional trauma. The handling of this trauma is not done very well by the film, but the actors definitely do a good job interpreting how people really handle the trauma afterwards. Some shots and cinematography are quite incredible, particularly the legendary sex scene and the final shot of the film. The pacing also lags a bit in this movie, and it will be hard to pay attention. If you're a fan of incredible acting, I have no problem recommending Monster's Ball to you. Casual movie-goers will probably find this one hard to digest.
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D’abord Billy Bob, excellent acteur, du charisme et une « gueule » : voilà un gars doué pour incarner des personnages complexes, tiraillés par leurs contradictions intérieures et leurs démons. C’est le cas ici même s’il ne fait que suivre un scénario bien propre sur lui, moralisateur et d’un angélisme consternant. Mais Billy Bob le fait bien, c’est son personnage. Et donc le message est passé, le racisme c’est mal et tant pis pour le réalisme (vivre ensemble, blablabla tout ça).
Ensuite, Halle Berry la bien foutue, oscarisée… oscarisée ? on se demande bien pourquoi ? allons, il faut raison garder, cesser de mater ses nichons et tout le reste, puis, à tête reposée, constater qu’elle ne sait pas jouer : un joli cul c’est très bien mais ça ne fait pas une actrice pour autant. Comparons-la à Sharon Stone dans Baisic instinct euh Basic instinct et force est de constater (encore) que Sharon sait jouer, elle.
Voilà, ça c’est fait. On reconnaît toutefois une jolie réalisation ainsi qu’une belle musique, mais décidément le déferlement d’évènements dramatiques dont il abuse est invraisemblable même si, nous le savons, Victor Hugo a écrit Les misérables. Mais soit, on en rigole bien au troisième degré et le film reste à peu près regardable malgré Halle et son côté lancinant de donneur de leçons, bien entendu.
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Production Company
Lee Daniels Entertainment,
Lionsgate Films
Release Date Dec 26, 2001
Duration 1 h 51 m
Rating R
Tagline A lifetime of change can happen in a single moment.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
National Board of Review, USA
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
