Monster's Ball
| Monster's Ball | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Marc Forster |
| Produced by | Lee Daniels |
| Written by | Milo Addica Will Rokos |
| Starring |
Billy Bob Thornton Halle Berry Heath Ledger Peter Boyle Sean Combs Mos Def Will Rokos Milo Addica |
| Music by | Asche and Spencer |
| Cinematography | Roberto Schaefer |
| Edited by | Matt Chesse |
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Production
company |
Lee Daniels Entertainment
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| Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 minutes 112 minutes (Unrated) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Box office | $44,909,486 |
Monster's Ball is a 2001 American drama film directed by German-Swiss director Marc Forster and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Sean Combs, Mos Def, Will Rokos and Milo Addica. The film, originally set to star Vanessa Williams, tells the story of a widowed corrections officer, his adult son, and his bigoted (and also widowed) father, all of whom work in the same profession. The main character befriends, and then starts a relationship with, a woman who he does not at first realize is the widowed wife of a man that he executed as part of his job.
Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading performance in this film.
Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are corrections officers in a prison in Louisiana. They reside with Hank's ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), a bigoted retired corrections officer whose wife committed suicide.
Hank is a deputy warden. He oversees the execution of convicted murderer, Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs). As explained to Sonny by Hank, at the diner bar the night before, a "Monster's Ball" is what the execution team calls that night's get-together. The proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who, as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair, vomits and then collapses.
Hank confronts Sonny in the jail's bathroom afterwards and slaps him for being so "soft" and for "ruining a man's last walk". At home, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and tells him to get out of the house. Sonny grabs a gun, and threatens his father, who backs off. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. After his father calmly confirms that he does, and always has, Sonny responds, "Well I always loved you," and then shoots himself in the chest, dying instantly.
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Wikipedia