This is What Film Making is all About

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2004)

SPOILERS
I cannot say enough good things about this movie. It is what film is all about. This had to be one of the most human stories I have ever seen. Most movies about serial killers either paint them out to be pure evil or misunderstood. Monster showed Aileen to be just another person who screwed up. Some feel that this was sympathetic to Aileen. It may have been, but I saw it less as a justification of her actions and more as an attempt to see Aileen as more than simply a "female murderer". Any justification for Aileen's actions came more from her own head then from the film. The first man she killed seemed justified as self defense. However, the rest of the men she killed for their money and her justification that she knew they were rapists and bad men was obviously her attempt to ease her guilt. Charlize Theron gave an amazing performance that truly made Aileen believable. Christina Ricci is really the underrated gem of this piece though. As Selby, she perfectly portrayed a young woman trying to be an adult yet unable to make her own decisions. She was horrified that Aileen was killing these men but at the same time she would complain to her that she needed money. The cinematography was incredible. I was amazed that they were able to hold a scene on pretty much one shot and not become dull. The seeming simplicity is in reality a huge accomplishment. The only real complaint I could have is with the soundtrack which at times betrayed the emotional impact of the scene and made what could have been a powerful moment feel a bit cheesy, and the last shot which just felt contrived. Other than that, this film is for me, a tribute to the craft. 9/10