DVD Review: Monster's Ball (B+)

Monster's Ball (2001)
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry and Peter Boyle
MPAA: R
Review By Scott Standish
Grade: B+

Confident and methodical, Monster's Ball is one of those slow trains that keeps on moving, with the story picking up steam as it goes along. Before you know it, you are engrossed in the story, and the actors cease to be actors- they are people you care about. Such is Monster's Ball, a good script made even better by the fine acting performances.

Monster's Ball centers around the middle aged racist prison worker Hank Grotowski (Thornton). Hank suffers a tragedy and starts to question his life. His father Buck (Peter Boyle) is an even bigger racist than he is and his negativity seems to taint everything around him. Berry plays Leticia Musgrove, a beautiful young girl that has suffered some serious misfortunes of her own, including having a husband (played by Sean Puffy Combs) sent to the electric chair.

Although best known for the Oscar winning performance by Halle Berry, the rumor is that Berry was not the first choice for the lead role. Reportedly, Vanessa Williams and Angela Bassett both turned down the job, due to the strong sexual content.

As pointed out, Halle Berry is incredible in Monster's Ball, but this movie is filled with top notch acting all around. Billy Bob Thornton and Peter Boyle are fantastic and the chemistry between Berry and Thornton is dynamic. Sean "Puffy" Combs is not great, but at least not terrible here and fellow rapper Mos Def turns in a good very acting performance as Hank Grotowski's neighbor.

The cinematography and overall direction work is solid, and you can tell that they just wanted to get the actors up there on screen and let the story work its slow magic. No special effects or aliens were needed, just a simple love story (well maybe not that simple) that engages the audience.

If you are looking for a great drama that eschews all the fancy trimmings in favor of getting right to the heart of the story, give Monster's Ball a look.

Buy Monster's Ball On DVD From Amazon.com