Monster (2003)

Director: Patty Jenkins

Writer: Patty Jenkins

Composer: BT

Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen, Annie Corley, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Marco St. John, Marc Macaulay, Scott Wilson, Rus Blackwell, Kane Hodder

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The first female serial killer of America

Plot: Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

I watched this shortly after it was released and I wasn't so keen on the picture.  Having just seen some documentaries on Wuronos probably had something to do with it.  In the documentaries you see the harsh woman that was the killer.  In this film you see the tragic woman who felt so trapped that this was her only escape.  Now that there's been some time separating everything (and a while back I did re-visit some of those documentaries but that was a while ago) this film plays better. A decade or so ago I watched the DVD extras and they kind of cheesed me off hearing how sympathetic the writer/director was toward this woman.  Now I get it.  Maybe I'm in a different place now, mellowing and getting wiser with age.  Or maybe it's Maybelline.  Regardless, this is a very good serial killer film that shows a different perspective than what you usually get with this type of picture.  Ricci is a hell of a lot easier on the eyes than the real Shelby but if you didn't know that then it won't bug you.  Theron delivers a performance that will astound you.  It's frightening how much she looks like Wuronos and she's fantastic.  It's one of those performances that the actor is completely absorbed and lost inside the character.  I REALLY like Theron and the wonderfully eclectic roles she chooses.  She's one of the most beautiful actresses out there and I love how she's not afraid to ugly herself up beyond recognition.  The Columbia DVD extras are few but adequate and worth watching. You get a featurette (15 minutes), the theatrical and international trailers (both non-anamorphic widescreen), a 30 second commercial for the soundtrack, a FUCKING COOL AS SHIT feature that allows you to watch the movie with either the dialogue, effects or music only or any combination of the three (this is way cool and something I've never seen offered before) and a 16 minute interview with Jenkins.  The film is anamorphic widescreen.