One of the Most Riveting Movies I've Ever Seen.

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2008)

"Monster" is the true story of Aileen Wuornos (played phenomenally by Charlize Theron), a Florida prostitute who led a troubled, abuse-ridden life since her early years. Set in the 1980s, Aileen finds love in a shy, sweet young woman named Selby Wall (Christina Ricci). She has hopes and dreams of escaping and living a "normal" life with Selby. But after she is raped, beaten, and nearly murdered by one of her "customers", she spirals on a descent into madness and insanity, in which she begins murdering random men (all of them being her clientèle) along the Daytona Beach highways.
I don't exactly know where to begin here, besides to say that this is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. It's complex, heartbreaking, shocking, disturbing- and ultimately an all around tragedy. Not to mention the fact that it is a true story, and did in fact happen - this brings it into even a stronger scope of intensity, when taking in mind that all these things did happen. Director/writer Patty Jenkins does a wonderful job here, and it's evident through the script that she put some hard work into making this film - the details are all there, the events and scripting are all impressive and done with flair, and everything is in place as it should be. The murder scenes are realistic and unsettling (the shot of Aileen, standing there in the woods, smoking a cigarette as she stares at the body of her second victim is harrowing), and really make the viewer uncomfortable (as does the horrendous rape scene that sets Wuornos off in the beginning).
Now, with the gritty acting details, I have to point out Theron. She has given one of the greatest female performances of all time here, if not just greatest performances of all time. If you should see this film for one reason, it should be solely for her performance, because it's one of the strongest I've ever seen. She is absolutely brilliant - every single detail of her character is spot on. Her dialect, mannerisms, physical demeanor, absolutely everything. Charlize Theron doesn't just "play" the character here - she IS the character. I was continually impressed by her, from the opening scene of the film to the closing credits. Her performance is riveting, and she well deserved all the praise she received for it, because she truly did a magnificent job. Not only that, but she actually looks so close to the real Aileen that it is almost scary - her transformation from a gorgeous, tall blonde to a rugged prostitute (mentally and physically) is sheerly impressive. Christina Ricci is also great as always in her role as Aileen's naive, good-hearted love interest - but really, Theron does out-shine everybody.
I'd also like to take in the fact of the real Aileen Wuornos herself. The presentation of her in this film is fairly accurate as are the events. But rather than play on Wuornos' wretched childhood and horrible life-long abuse as an excuse for her actions, it simply presents them as they are. Yes, Aileen Wuornos did have a horrible life. Yes, she was horribly abused and psychologically damaged because of it. And yes, she was in fact guilty of murdering several men, and all but one of them is somewhat excusable. But despite all of her awful history and brutal actions, she was in fact a person. She had emotions, hopes, dreams, and was endlessly looking for real love, which she found in Selby. In the end, though, she had to pay the price for her actions.
Overall, "Monster" is an incredible film. It does a magnificent job of capturing the time, the events, and the characters in this gut-wrenching true story, to the point that the audience almost feels as if they are right there. Magnificent performances (most notably Theron) really make this film stand out, but it's a powerful and horrific story nonetheless- tragic, compelling, and at times hard to watch. It gives deep insight into an incredibly damaged woman that found herself on an inexcusable path of violence, murder, and destruction that she couldn't seem to escape. 10/10.