Monster's Ball

Cast View all

	Billy Bob Thornton	Hank Grotowski
	Taylor Simpson	Lucille
	Gabrielle Witcher	Betty
	Heath Ledger	Sonny Grotowski
	Amber Rules	Vera
	Peter Boyle	Buck Grotowski
	Charles Cowan Jr.	Willie Cooper
	Taylor Lagrange	Darryl Cooper
	Yasiin Bey	Ryrus Cooper
	Anthony Bean	Dappa Smith
	Francine Segal	Georgia Ann Paynes
	John McConnell	Harvey Shoonmaker
	Marcus Lyle Brown	Phil Huggins
	Milo Addica	Tommy Roulaine
	Leah Loftin	Booter
	Halle Berry	Leticia Musgrove
	Coronji Calhoun	Tyrell Musgrove
	Sean Combs	Lawrence Musgrove
	Larry Lee	Co #1
	Troy Poret	Co #2
	Paul Smith	Co #3
	Marshall Cain	Correction Officer
	Will Rokos	Warden Velesco
	Anthony Michael Frederick	Billy
	John Wilmot	Minister

Crew View all

Director	Marc Forster
Writer	Milo Addica, Will Rokos
Producer	Milo Addica, Michael Burns, Lee Daniels, Eric Kopeloff, Michael Paseornek, Will Rokos, Mark Urman
Musician	Asche & Spencer, Chris Beaty
Photography	Roberto Schaefer

Personal

Notes

Story Synopsis:
Hank Grotowski (Thornton) is a seemingly rigid correctional officer who shares a home with his ailing racist father (Boyle) and a son, Sonny (Ledger), whom he says he hates. But his son teaches him a lesson that permanently changes life as Hank knows it. One night, Hank reluctantly comes to the aid of Leticia (Berry), a beautiful Africa-American screaming for her young son clinging to life after being hit by a car. They soon find themselves to be unexpected soul mates connected by tragic grief and shocking coincidence. “Monster’s Ball” is a superbly acted and poignant story which earned Berry the Academy Award® for Best Actress. (Suzanne Hodges)



DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a somewhat desaturated, deglamorized appearance that complements the mood of the film. Images appear sharp and nicely detailed, though some scenes appear a bit soft. Colors are well balanced, if a little muted, with natural fleshtones. The picture can have a somewhat harshly contrasted appearance, with blown-out whites. There is some edge enhancement and a bit of pixelization noticed. Overall, the imagery nicely serves the storytelling. (Suzanne Hodges)



Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack features a music score that is nicely recorded and significantly fills the listening space, especially the surrounds. This spatial characteristic should prove particularly effective in conveying the visceral setting for the scene. As somewhat of a spatial contrast, the rest of the audio is considerably more reserved, and tending to be focused around the dialogue. Voices are presented with abundant clarity and at a comfortable listening level. The low-end content with the music also serves as an effective element in setting the emotional pace in the storytelling, albeit without the .1 LFE being a contributing factor. (Perry Sun)

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