Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

smc-08680 This movie affected me on so many levels. It was so brilliantly done. The performances were intense and so believable I found myself crying in parts. What is a sign of brilliant acting is the fact that Charlize Theron succeeded in making us sympathize with her character despite the fact her character was a cold blooded killer. In fact in the attempted rape scene where she retaliates and murders the man I was silently cheering. To say Charlize Theron deserved that Academy Award is an understatement her performance is so flawlessly brilliant that she's barely recognizable as the blonde beauty she is in real life. This movie is frighteningly brutal in it's honesty. I cannot recommend it enough!

Screen_Blitz Most serial killers we know in the celluloid are associated with the slasher-horror genre, with such figures as Michael Myers, Jason Voorhes , and Freddy Krueger. What does these serial killers have in common? They are all based on fiction. Director Patty Jenkins offers a deeply upsetting account of a serial killer who is not work of fiction but was in fact a real-life figure who was enough to sit in the category with such grisly figures as Ted Bundy and Charles Manson. This woman's name was Aileen Wuornos, and she was not a very friendly human being. Capitalizing on the tragic accounts of its central figure who is now deceased after sentenced to death by lethal injection, this film offers a grim, yet realistic portrayal on the dark side of human kind, a path that lead to the death of both innocent and non-innocent individuals. The title could not be justifiable, and Jenkins makes the daunting, yet triumphant choice of casting Charlize Theron in the subject role in effort to support that claim. Set in 1989, this film chronicles the life of Aileen Wuornos (played by Charlize Theron), an unlaundered woman growing up in Daytona Beach as a prostitute while developing a lesbian relationship with Selby (played by Christina Ricci) who grows up in a religious family. Selby's family immediately disapproves of her and unaware of her desire to turn her life around. That proves to be easier said than done when she struggles to land a job due to her criminal record and lack of social kills. On the night of what is supposed to be her last customer of dirty business turns into a bloodbath when she brutally murders her client who tries to rape her. This night soon marks the beginning of her homicidal life. Patty Jenkins does not aim for a horror movie approach nor does she stray into the degree of exploitation when drawing the grim portrait of Wuornos. Nonetheless, the film certainly has a feel of a horror film not only because of the brutality of her behavior but also due to the fact that it is inspired by true events. Although Jenkins takes just a few liberties from the documented tale, she does not fail paint a picture on the abhorrent nature of the film's tragic figure. Charlize Theron is the apex of the film. While Theron has never been resorted to particular typecasting, this film marks her first time in a role residing the wrong side of the moral compass. Shaving her eyebrows and gaining thirty pounds to maintain Aileen Wuarnos's distasteful appearance, Theron disappears into the role boasting an incredible amount of ferocity and grit that greatly sticks out in each scene when she has a startling encounter with her "sex customers". The story goes out of its way to portray not necessarily as a nihilistic figure, but a woman who believes killing is part of human nature, as he addresses in one scene. "People kill because of politics, because of religion" she cries during this scene which is an accurate account of what goes on our society as well as around the world. Her relationship with Christina Ricci is suitably mapped out. That is not to say that the two actresses share a fashionable chemistry. But each the two are on screen, there performances shine diligently, and their heart-thumping relationship propels to a bittersweet conclusion when Aileen comes to realize the filthy nature of her image. Monster is deeply disturbing and frequently uncomfortable to sit through, yet marks for a gripping biopic of its central figure thanks to the poignant performances by Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci and intelligent direction by Patty Jenkins. As painful as it is, the movie speaks a truth of human nature and Jenkins never tarnishes his feat in favor of exploitation. For those mature enough to dive into this tragic story, the film is a fascinating tale.

CinemaClown Patty Jenkins' feature film debut is a thoroughly gripping & unexpectedly heartbreaking biopic that details the troubled life of notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos in a way that surprisingly evokes a little sympathy for a despicable persona, and benefits greatly from Charlize Theron's jaw-dropping transformation & Academy Award-winning performance.Set in Florida, Monster tells the story of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute-turned-serial killer who was convicted & executed for her crimes during the late 1980s. The plot mainly covers the relationship she develops with a young woman after moving to Florida, and attempts to shed some light on the events that led her to a path there was no coming back from.Written & directed by Patty Jenkins, Monster is an impressive start to her filmmaking career and remains one of the strongest directorial debuts of 21st century. Jenkins approaches the real-life account with an open viewpoint and portrays Aileen's life as a tragic one without undermining the unforgivable acts she committed. Also, her relationship with her girlfriend is sincerely illustrated.The best thing about Monster, however, is Charlize Theron who single-handedly makes this film work with a performance that's as compelling as it is chilling. Undergoing a physical transformation so profound & disturbing that she's almost unrecognisable in the role, Theron plays Aileen from inside out, and keeps a firm grip on her emotions & expressions at all times. Christina Ricci is in as her girlfriend and does well with what she's given.On an overall scale, Monster is a skilfully crafted, grippingly told & outstandingly performed biopic that is able to infuse shades of grey into what appears black & white from afar, and will always be memorable for Charlize Theron's career-best performance. Making the viewers feel sympathy for an unlikeable character is never an easy job but thanks to Patty Jenkins' refined script & first-rate direction, and Theron's total devotion to her role, Monster accomplishes that with effortless ease. Highly recommended.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) Here we have the Oscar-winning "Monster", an American biopic movie from 2003 that will have its 15th anniversary next year. These 105 minutes are the most known work by writer and director Patty Jenkins, which may change when her new Wonder Woman movie will finally come out. And it is also the career-defining performance by South African actress Charlize Theron. In here she plays Aileen Wuornos a prostitute and serial killer who had her very own way of dealing with clients. And while I am sure that a lot was added in this film for drama purposes, I am perfectly fine with it as it makes the entire film more interesting. I am honestly personally not too sure if Wuornos' life or character justify a biopic, but the way things looked here, it is okay. Was she really driven by inner demons/forces to kill these men the way it is depicted during the last killing scene? Was she really that upset by authority and rejection as we see during her job interview? Did she really hate men as much as it was depicted in here? I don't know. But regardless of what the true answers to these questions may be, it all works pretty well in this movie.As for Theron, she dominated the awards season with her portrayal here and a lot of this may have to do with how she went for ugliness. Theron known as one of the most stunning women/actresses on the planet looks homely here from start to finish. So the make-up sure helped her a lot in her ambitions. And what also helped was the fact that Theron's character was depicted as a human being with feelings and emotions despite the horrible acts she committed on these many occasions. That final murder scene I already mentioned and also of course her relationship with Ricci's character show that very well. Eventually, she is the one who may have been cured if her girlfriend loved her as much as she loved her too, but this was not the case. Anyway, all in all, I personally found nothing really too memorable here apart from Theron's performance and I guess many thought the same as the film received not too much recognition at awards ceremonies beyond that, for example no Best Picture or writing nominations at the Oscars. With Theron, a nomination may have been enough, but I am also okay with the win I guess, even if I'd never consider it one of the greatest Best Actress winners / female performances. From 2003 for example, it is certainly not on par with Scarlett Johansson in "Lost in Translation". That's why seeing "Monster" once is enough. But seeing it once is also very much recommended. Thumbs up. Final note: Bruce Dern is a much better actor than what he was allowed to show us here. Extremely underused.