Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton) is a prison guard at the local prison, this is like his father before him and his own son, Sonny (Heath Ledger) is following in his footsteps. Hank is in charge of the execution procedure and the film opens with him running through this grisly process which for the first time will involve his son.

The prisoner due for the electric chair is Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs - P. Diddy for those in the know) and we first meet him during his final visit with his ex-wife and their son. Leticia (Halle Berry) his wife is angry and venomous and shows no mercy to her soon to be executed ex-husband. Their son Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun) idolises his wayward father and presents a tragic figure of someone desperate for love and a guiding hand. He receives none of this from his mother who alternately smothers him and berates the poor chap for being a "fat little piggy".

Unfortunately the execution doesn't run smoothly and Hank violently berates Sonny for not performing correctly. In a dramatic and catastrophic sequence Sonny and Hank fight with appalling consequences. In a similar disastrous event of her own, Leticia must also come to terms with her own loss. It is here that fates plays a hand and puts the two baggage carrying characters together and they start to develop an ever deepening relationship with each other.

The success of the film is in the acting performances and the only surprise is that only Halle Berry won an Oscar here. She puts in a performance of great depth and feeling and her raw passion and needs are plainly obvious. Thornton on the other hand plays a much more taciturn role but even so the feelings of the character he plays comes shining through. Great support from Coronji Calhoun and Heath Ledger.

Some have questioned the composition of the film, especially the lengthy sex scene between the two leads. Admittedly this is a lengthy sequence and there's little doubt it could have been cut shorter but it still remains a powerful and raw piece of the whole film. It would also be wrong to concentrate on this scene alone when there are so many other good ones, the stand off between Leticia and Hank's racist and bigoted father or the tear jerking scene in the hospital. The ending also deserves special mention for being believable, credible and not taking the easy Hollywood get out that we all were probably expecting.

Beautiful... and Brilliant
Review date: 2005-03-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Billy Bob Thornton is brilliant. Halle Berry is brilliant, heck Peter Boyle is brilliant, the whole film is brilliant
It is a soft heart-warming story of two people being brought together even though Billy Bob Thornton is Hank Grotowski, the man who executed her husband on death row, even though he has a racist father who constantly reinforces his views about how to be a man, even though his son took his own life through a sheer mental breakdown, he manages to find a little salvation in his new companion, Leticia (Halle Berry).
It is a sad story of death and coping with it. The plot is very simple but effective and the direction is smooth and revealling, this film won Halle Berry her Best Actress Oscar in 2001 and she deserved it for her stern and tender performance as Leticia, Billy Bob's love interest, and as they weave within each other the story builds to a climax of sheer brilliance... A Great Film!
Oh.. and I suggest you look out for the extra features... check out the 'lighter note on Billy Bob Thornton' and watch out for a little glimpse of Billy's best film to date 'Sling Blade' as he revives his mental patient character, Carl... honestly - it's brilliant.

Don't read this... just watch Monster's Ball
Review date: 2005-03-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a classic film, and I can totally understand why Halle Berry won her oscar, she played Leticia Musgrove, wife of Lawrence who at the start of the film is executed by the main star Billy Bob Thornton. She is also the mother of an overweight son, and when he is hit by a car late at night, Billy Bob takes them under his wing. Unfortunately the lad dies, but sparks a beautiful relationship, and even though Leticia has no knowledge of who she is now seeing it makes for intriguing viewing and often leaves you feeling mesmerised. fantastic...
Oh and as for the features, I have to say the 'lighter note on Billy Bob Thornton' is brilliant, especially as he happily brings forward his best character to date, from the 1996 film Sling Blade, it's just great, it must be seen.

Product Details/Specifications