Written And Directed by Patty Jenkins
Aileen: "'All you need is love and to believe in yourself.' Nice idea. It doesn't exactly work out that way. But I guess it was better to hear a flat-out lie than to know the truth at thirteen."
Long before her acclaim and fall with a Wonder Woman duology, there was a time when people remembered Patty Jenkins as an award nominated and winning director. This was the movie that put her on the map.
Focusing on one of America's most famous serial killers, this movie also saw Charlize Theron physically transform herself to play former prostitute turned killer, Aileen Wuornos. This film would depict Wuornos's crime spree but more than that.
There's an opening narration which set the tone for Aileen's car crash of a life and an encounter with a young lesbian named Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) represented something that Aileen had never felt before - love and Aileen herself insisted she wasn't gay.
However the romance between Aileen and Selby somewhat made the two into outcasts. Selby found herself ostracised by her conservative father and her aunt, Donna (Annie Corley) while Aileen's attempts to go legit ended up being a non starter.
In real life, Aileen murdered at least seven men and her first victim was a john named Vincent Corey (Lee Tergesen). In this case, Aileen did murder him in self defence but following victims would be men who hadn't intended her harm, men she robbed or even one man who actually tried to help her.
Of course as the bodies began to pile up, Aileen was eventually caught, turned on by Selby and ultimately sentenced to death. We don't see the last bit but it's mentioned as the credits closed.
- Actors who played other victims of Aileen were Pruitt Taylor Vince, Marco St. John, Marc Macauley, Scott Wilson and Tim Ware.
- Wuornos gave Jenkins access to letters to gain an insight into her life.
- Standout music: Duran Duran's All She Wants Is, Blondie's Tide Is High and Journey's Don't Stop Believing.
- Chronology: The movie covered from 1989 to 2002, Daytona Beach in Florida as well as Ohio.
Monster was an incredible directorial debut for Patty Jenkins and it's still holding up incredibly as a movie. Charlize Theron really went above and beyond for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos and it's such a compelling performance.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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