`Monster's Ball tells the tale, in part, of three generations of Grotowski men (played by superb actors) - Buck (Peter Boyle), Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Sonny (Heath Ledger) - each of whom had stints as Corrections Officer at the Georgia State Prison.
Racism courses through their blood, and their demeanor is rough around the collar. In light of racist and bullying scandals in sports over the past several months - surrounding Donald Sterling, PK Subban, and Richie Incognito - I cringe to hear inflammatory remarks in the script, especially from Buck, and outright discrimination against two Black boys and their father. In any event, Sonny is the least like the elder Grotowskis, and his more tolerant disposition and his violent suicide unhinge their racism.
Sean Combs, as Lawrence Musgrove, is sentenced to death, making `Monster's Ball the second film I've seen in recent weeks to portray capital punishment. `The Life of David Gale is the other. Some people decry brutal stoning in the Middle East, and overlook the barbarism of putting anyone to death here in the US. Personally I do not agree with capital punishment, and in fact with any form of killing: from murder and self defense, to suicide and euthanasia, to war and terrorism. It simply is not in our purview to take our own and each other's life: That is only God's. The fact that we can, admittedly, does not mean we ought to.
Halle Berry is truly a fine actress, but my wife and I wonder how she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for this role. At times her performance as Leticia Musgrove seemed stilted, even overly dramatized. Apparently her hot and heavy, extended sex scene with Thornton cinched it for her. Eroticism aside, I do agree that this scene was her best effort in an otherwise mediocre acting.
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