Monster (2021)

★ 6.5 1h 38m 107 votes IMDb

The story of Steve Harmon, a 17-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder.

Monster

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Cast

Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Steve Harmon Age 31 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Kelvin Harrison Jr. (born July 23, 1994) is an American actor. He received such accolades as a Screen Actors Guild Award and nominations for a British Academy Film Award, a Gotham Award, and an Indepe...
Jeffrey Wright
Jeffrey Wright as Mr. Harmon Age 60 · Washington, D.C., USA Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his Tony, Golden Globe and Emmy winning role as Belize in the Broadway production of Angels in America and its acclaim...
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson as Mrs. Harmon Age 44 · Chicago, Illinois, USA Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of A...
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Ehle as Katherine O'Brien Age 56 · Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Jennifer Ehle (born December 29, 1969) is an Anglo-American actress. She gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice (1995), a role th...
Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson as Leroy Sawicki Age 61 · Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor and playwright. Described as a "modern character actor, his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Gideon in...
John David Washington
John David Washington as Richard 'Bobo' Evans Age 41 · Los Angeles, California, USA John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former American football running back. He shifted to an acting career like his father, Denzel Washington and mother, Pauletta Washin...

Audience Reviews

Manuel São Bento 5/10 May 09, 2021
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I've written this a thousand times, but I'll repeat it once again: I absolutely love one-location movies. I don't know exactly if most of Monster is actually developed inside the courtroom, but it genuinely feels like it. In fact, I believe every scene outside this place is told through extended flashbacks with narration from Steve Harmon about what happened before and on the day of the crime. Since the protagonist is a film student, his voice-over contains descriptions often seen in screenplays, which it's pleasant at first, but then gets overdone.

The trial is definitely the most captivating part of the story. Anthony Mandler and his team of writers demonstrate perfectly some real-life aspects of how the law works. From the well-known emotional disconnect of (some) lawyers with their clients to the prejudiced treatment of people of color, the courtroom sequences keep the movie interesting until its somewhat predictable, unsurprising conclusion. However, despite the exceptional performances from everyone involved, especially Kelvin Harrison Jr., the case itself wraps up with unanswered questions and some messages lost in the transmission.

While the viewers spend the entire runtime following Steve being a good son, brother, and friend, the other Black characters being accused don't receive the same treatment. At one point in the film, someone says "you must consider him innocent until evidence proves him guilty", but this only applies to the protagonist since everyone else is presumed to be guilty from the get-go without the audience ever seeing or hearing their point of view or knowing why they committed that crime. Furthermore, even though the viewers get to know the verdict, Steve's true impact on the murder remains questionable due to the last couple of flashbacks, which begs the question: "are we really supposed to root for him?"

Rating: C.

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