Monster is a 2003 true crime drama of the American serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The film was extremely highly praised by critics and Charlize Theron ended up winning several Best Actress awards for her role including and Academy Award. Monster was made on a budget of $8,000,000 and grossed an estimated $60,378,584 at the box office. The film is rated 18 and runs for approximately 109 minutes.
Aileen Wuornos killed 7 men between the years of 1989 and 1990, she claimed that the reason for the murders was that the men had tried to rape her when she was working as a prostitute. Wuornos was sentenced to death in 1992 and was eventually killed via lethal injection on 9th October 2002.
The film is directed by Patty Jenkins, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. She has worked on: Entourage, Arrested Development, Velocity Rules and Just Drive.
Charlize Theron plays the lead role of Aileen Wuornos in the film, she has previously appeared in: The Devil’s Advocate, Hancock and The Italian Job. Her co-star is played by Christina Ricci who’s appeared in: Sleepy Hollow, Speed Racer and The Opposite Of Sex.
Upon arriving in Florida, Aileen Wuornos goes to a bar where she meets Selby (Christina Ricci) a young gay woman who lives with her deeply religious relatives. Although Aileen is not gay she likes Selby and the feeling is reciprocated. After the two have sex after a night out to
an ice-skating rink things start to heat up pretty quickly and Aileen pressures Selby to move out and run away with her.
Selby agrees when Aileen promises to take care of her, Selby is aware that Aileen is a prostitute and strangely isn’t bothered by it. While Aileen is on a usual night out working she is propositioned by a man who takes her into the woods, Aileen is an experienced prostitute and thinks this is just another job however the man turns violent and proceeds to tie her up and rape her. Aileen notices a gun and shoots the man several times and continues to hide the body. Aileen however doesn’t leave it there, she is so disturbed by the incident that she continues to kill all the men that require her services. She’s thinks she’s gotten away with it but soon enough the police are onto her and she and Selby must go on the run to avoid being caught…
This is just the kind of film that interests me, I like films that are based on truth and after hearing so many great things about this film I just had to give it a watch. Coincidently I’ve noticed this film is actually showing tonight (19/5) on Film 4!
After seeing the film I watched a documentary about Aileen Wuornos and I was impressed at how accurately the film portrayed the events. Also the transformation for Charlize Theron was incredible, she went from being one of the worlds most lusted after women to being a real monster (no pun intended). She looks so much like the real Aileen Wuornos it’s uncanny.
The acting in this is absolutely amazing and all credit should go out to Charlize Theron for that, the role of a serial killer can’t be the easiest role to play but she took to it like a duck to water. She somehow manages to convey emotion from her character and at some points you almost find yourself sympathising with her tragic upbringing and her awful adulthood. I think the way Charlize Theron manages to change from being a psychopathic killer with no remorse to being a woman in a relationship who will do anything to protect her partner is brilliant. It was no surprise to me when I found out that she won an Oscar for Best Actress based on this role. Christina Ricci was also brilliant as the sweet but naïve Selby, you can really feel how she’s torn between her love for Aileen and her morals as a result of her strictly religious upbringing.
I think the way the story pans out is excellent, I like the way that you get to know that character of Aileen before the killings start because it gives you the chance to get a sense of who she is and why she’s turned out the way she has. The story could be described as a thriller because at times it becomes very tense, not just with the murder scenes but some scenes towards the end where she’s nearing capture are very tense and although you know that outcome you still find yourself getting really involved with the story. I really like how you get to know the characters as I mentioned earlier, it really gets you more into the story and brings out emotions in you.
A couple of the murder scenes are very graphic so it’s not a film for the feint hearted. I think the graphic violence was important to the story and I’m glad the director didn’t try to tone it down to make the film a 15 rating simply to open it up to a wider audience. The murder scenes are extremely powerful, especially the first one. This is the murder that opens up the rest of the film and is the motive for the other six murders. Of course it doesn’t excuse what she did to the other six men but after witnessing the first murder you feel for her as it must be an awful thing for anyone to experience. The whole film is extremely powerful and will have you utterly gripped from start to finish.
I’d highly recommend Monster to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, it’s an incredibly powerful film that’s been brilliantly directed with superb actors who portray their characters excellently. It’s also a very interesting film for anyone who’s interested in true crime stories, the story as a whole is fascinating and the whole film is a very compelling watch and I would strongly suggest you give it a try.
The DVD is currently available from play.com for £3.99, a bargain for such a brilliant and compelling film.
The special features include: Audio commentary from Charlize Theron, director Patty Jenkins and producer Clark Peterson
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2000 - Drama - Director: Giuseppe Tornatore - Original Language: Italian - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
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May 19th, 2009
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