Fr. Greg's Reviews: Back to the Movie Index

Monster's Ball:

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry, Peter Boyle, Sean Combs, Mos Def and Coronji Calhoun, Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

“Monster’s Ball” is very much like a Greek tragedy. Two people, tormented by horrible, almost unbelivable events, are thrown together to find solace in each other’s arms. Hank Grotowski, is a white racist, Georgia Department of Corrections Officer, responsible for the executions team. Letitia Musgrove, is a destitute African-American, married to a man that Hank is about to put to death. Both are full of anger just waiting to explode. Both have sons with weaknesses they detest. Letitia’s son, Tyrell, is a very overweight little boy, who has to hide his chocolate candy, the only comfort in his oppressive life. Sonny, Hank’s grown son, has made the mistake of following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps in the penal system. When he gets ill and throws up while taking his prisoner to the electric chair, Hank berates and then beats him for “ruining that man’s last walk.” The scene parallels Letitia’s beating of her own son when she discovers his hidden cache of candy bars.

When Hank and Letitia both lose their sons, they regret every mean thing they ever said or did to them. And not only do they find peace and solace in each other, but also the beginnings of redemption. One could call the screenplay of Monster’s Ball melodrammatic and over the top. And in fact, that’s the major flaw of this film, too many big moments piled on top of one another. But there’s something about the writing of Milo Addica and Will Rokos that goes deeper into the characters: Details like the ability to draw that eleven year old Tyrell Musgrove has inherited from his death row father Lawrence; the bowl of chocolate ice cream Hank insisters on eating every night with a plastic spoon; the importance of the red curtains that Letitia has bought on credit; and the way Hank cleans Sonny’s blood off a leather chair, and in the same way later cleans Tyrell’s blood of the back seat of his car.

The director, Marc Forster, also allows his actors time. The pacing is almost meditative and the music irritatingly uncomfortable. There’s an oppressiveness to the story that makes you almost not want to look at the screen, yet a morbid curiosity that makes it difficult to turn your eyes away.

And the actors? I have to say that Forster gets performances out of his actors the way Todd Field does in “In the Bedroom”. Heartthrob Heath Ledger plays Sonny, a supporting role that this courageous actor does wonders with. Coronji Calhoun is terrific as Letita’s chubby son Tyrell. He’ll break your heart. Peter Boyle plays Hank’s ultra racist and sadistic father Buck, out of whose mouth come the most vile epithets. You can fully understand how Hank was formed and what he’s internally fighting against. And Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs is really and surpisingly excellent as Lawrence Musgrove, the soft spoken death row inmate.

This has been a banner year for BillyBob Thornton, so superb in “Bandits” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There” -- and now equally effective as Hank Grotowski You’re replused by his early behavior, and then moved by his latter acts of kindness and his conversion of heart.

Of course, the Oscar goes to Halle Berry as Letitia. Did she deserve it? I’d say it was a close call between Halle and Sissy Spacek. Both certainly deserved to win and now having seen M onster’s Ball, I’m pleased that Berry won. Not for the “let it all hang out wailing scenes” she puts us through, but for the quieter moments. Watch her at the beginning, smoking a cigarette while listening to her husband give final words about life to their son. Or look at the very end, sitting on the front steps, a million things going on behind her eyes, and we know exaclty what she’s thinking; or just the way she waits for her husband’s last phone call, sitting on the couch with her son, watching TV and downing tiny bottles of bourbon.

“Monster’s Ball” is a difficult film to watch and certainly not for everyone. Rated R for strong sexual content, language and violence, it’s a powerful, though at times, flawed experience. However, I give it a solid 8 out of 10.

Fr. Greg Apparcel

April 13, 2002