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Monster
on DVD (2003)
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| Starring: |
Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Lee Tergesen, Annie Corley |
| Director: |
Patty Jenkins |
| Studio: |
DEJ PRODUCTIONS |
| Run time: |
104 mins |
| Certificate: |
 |
| Collections: |
100 Feisty Females |
| User collections: |
My DVD Collection, Films that make you think, 10 films to make you feel uncomfortable (in a good way), Femme Fatale, 10 simply great films, The best true stories, Films I have at home, Movies every one should see. I am a hopless romantic |
| Genres: |
Drama |
| Languages: |
English |
| Released: |
30/07/2004
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Brief synopsis of Monster
Charlize Theron delivers a knockout, cast-against-type performance in this gritty drama, based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, a down and out prostitute who was sentenced to death after killing six men between 1989 and 1990. Christina Ricci co-stars as Selby Wall, a lesbian runaway who forms a romantic bond with Wuornos. Inspired by her love (even though she is not gay, strictly speaking) Wuornos tries to get a real job, but after meeting with a string of humiliating failures, she returns to work as a hitchhiking hooker, killing her first victim in self-defence after he rapes and beats her. Eventually, robbing and murdering her clients becomes almost second nature and by the end Wuornos even slays a man who was totally innocent (Scott Wilson). Theron's portrayal of this dangerous yet sympathetic character ranks with some of the greatest performances in cinema. Under heavy makeup, extra weight, and a snarling countenance, she proves herself a fearless, formidable talent, completely unrecognizable from the glamorous beauty of such films as THE ITALIAN JOB (2003) and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (1997). First-time director Jenkins proves herself with this fluid and engrossing work, capturing a lot of sordid detail that other movies exploring this milieu might miss; she also wrote the script, based on actual conversations and prison letters from Wuornos. The moody, paranoia-enhancing soundtrack is by electronica maestro BT.
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All DVDs in this series
Monster - Feature
Charlize Theron delivers a knockout, cast-against-type performance in this gritty drama, based on the true sto...
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Monster - Bonus Feature
Includes: Extended Scenes, Film Making Demo (create your own scene using dialogue or music or effects), Interv...
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Related
Critics Reviews
Radio Times
More an intense portrait of doomed romance than a serial-killer thriller, writer/director Patty Jenkins's brutal biopic of prostitute turned multiple murderer Aileen Wuornos burrows deep into the woman's psyche with the help of an Oscar-winning turn from Charlize Theron. While her physical transformation may have caught the Academy's eye, Theron's performance goes beyond the weight-gain and dental prosthetics, finding both compassion and coldness in Wuornos's descent into homicidal mania. Aileen's first kill is in self-defence, escaping from a “client”, but the impulse soon escalates into murder as she fights both to survive and to protect her burgeoning relationship with the naive outcast lesbian Selby (a superbly understated Christina Ricci). In other hands, this could have become overwrought melodrama, but Jenkins skilfully mines the humanity within the sensationalism to come up with something that is both tender and chilling — and ultimately heartbreaking.
Time Out
By her own confession, Aileen Wuornos murdered six men in the years 1989 and 1990 - all in self-defence, she claimed....
Read more on www.timeout.com
Harpers & Queen
"...Theron gives this year's most impressive performance..."
See all 6 Critics Reviews »
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