On M List of Movie Reviews
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Monster's Ball (2001)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
4/05, 6/25
6/25:
Halle Berry won the Oscar for Monster's Ball.
So, what did it? Taking off her clothes or the drunk scene she had with Billy Bob Thornton? Either way, Halle Berry
has done a good job, but it's not Oscar-worthy. The sex scenes are overboard and therefore unnecessary.
Instead, she could've benefited from more conversations with her co-star.
I have to say that Billy Bob Thornton did most of the lifting and thus carved out a pretty good character
for himself. What a surprise he didn't get an Oscar nomination for it. Ditto for Peter Boyle who gave the
best performance of the show. He was the most believable as a scary guy, having done so in the past such as
Joe, Taxi Driver, and
Hardcore.
In 2001, Monster's Ball was The Crying Game of its time by
serving a weird twist of irony. Here's another: Sean Combs' character got executed in the film for murder,
and he's currently facing trial that may send him to prison for life. How about that shocking moment
for Heath Ledger? He also died young for real seven years later.
The setting confused me for a while. I thought it was South Carolina. Finally, the license plates showed up to
indicate it's Georgia. Yet when I saw the prisoners working outside with their hoes up in the air, that had to
be Angola. It turns out they shot the whole film on location in Louisiana including Louisiana State Penitentiary.
All in all, Monster's Ball is a well-made Southern Gothic picture with strong performances.