Charlize Theron is amazing as the notorious Aileen Wournous in this hard-hitting film

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2009)

Charlize Theron, barely recognizable with blotchy sunburned skin, stringy unwashed hair, a dumpy figure, smoldering near black eyes, and dentures, delivers a remarkable Oscar-winning portrayal of Aileen Wournous, a bitter, disaffected and down-trodden prostitute who hitchhikes in order to pick up customers and eventually resorts to murder so she can support both herself and her naive lesbian companion Shelby (well played by Christina Ricci). Writer/director Patty Jenkins and Theron do a commendable job of making Wournos a pitiable figure without ever glamorizing her and her infamous exploits. Jenkins offers a fascinatingly stark, bleak and gritty look at the seedy underbelly of America's lower class while pointing out how Aileen's lack of a proper education and past history of abuse made her ineligible for regular employment (the scenes where Wournos makes fumbling attempts at gaining a legitimate job are both funny and heartbreaking in equal measure). Theron holds the picture together with her bravura intense and riveting acting as Aileen; she astutely nails the burning rage and underlying despair Wournos feels about her lowly and miserable station in life. Moreover, there's a poignant doomed love story between Wournos and Shelby amidst all the harshness. While Theron clearly dominates the movie with her powerhouse work as Wournos, the bang-up supporting cast also deserve kudos for their praiseworthy contributions: the always reliable Bruce Dern is typically fine as Aileen's scruffy, sympathetic Vietnam veteran friend Thomas, Lee Tergesen makes a chilling impression as brutal john Vincent Corey, Pruit Taylor Vince has a touching cameo as another stuttering john, and Scott Wilson has a small, but memorable part as Wournos' nice guy last victim Horton. Steve Bernstein's bright, polished cinematography comes through with several striking images. BT's spare, melodic score likewise does the trick. While it's every bit as grim, seamy and depressing as one would expect, this movie is still worth seeing just for Charlize Theron's first-rate mesmerizing performance as one seriously troubled and damaged soul alone.