Greetings again from the darkness. It has been a rough week. I saw "Monster's Ball" and "In the Bedroom" in a 5 day span. I consider myself fully educated on how to conduct a doomed relationship. "Monster's Ball" is exceedingly well acted. Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry and Peter Boyle are all at the top of their game. I didn't even realize Halle Berry had a game to be on top of! Much more than a great body and beautiful face, she brings her character to life ... at least what little life it has. Peter Boyle does a wonderful job of capturing the hateful bigotry of an unforgiving b**tard. Many young viewers may be surprised at the ability of Boyle to do anything except deliver one liners in stupid sitcoms, but he was one of the best character actors of the 70's and 80's. The problem with the movie is the story is delivered in a chopped up manner and it does not really give us a reason to get close to the characters. It just kind of expects us to. Billy Bob's obstacles for a normal life seem to be at the heart of the story, but a couple of scenes are not enough for us to muster empathy. Same with Halle's character. Superb brief role for Puff Daddy as the soon to be executed father to Halle's son. Many will have a difficult time recognizing Heath Ledger in his first down and dirty role. This is a teen heart-throb? Maybe ... but he is showing flashes of becoming a real actor. Overall, a masterpiece of acting, but a tough movie to watch due to the subject matter and the choppy direction.
Review of Monster's Ball
