Search - Monster's Ball on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Lions Gate Total Copies: 60 Genres: Drama, Romantic Drama, Psychological Drama, Melodrama See Also: Monster's Ball [Signature Series], Monster's Ball [Blu-ray]

Director Marc Forster, winner of Best Feature at Slamdance for his debut film Loungers (1996) and the "Someone to Watch" Independent Spirit Award for his indie drama Everything Put Together (2000), follows up those acclaimed projects with this intense, racially charged romance. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Georgia prison guard Hank Grotowski, a hard-drinking racist ex-cop whose father, Buck (Peter Boyle), is dying of emphysema and whose son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), works the execution detail at the prison's death row. When Sonny commits suicide, Hank is devastated and quits his job, spiraling into a deep depression until, one night, he comes to the aid of Leticia (Halle Berry), a beautiful African-American woman whose son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun), has been hit by a car. When Tyrell dies, Leticia and Hank find themselves to be unexpected soul mates linked together by tragic grief. It's not long before Hank discovers that Leticia is the widow of Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), the man whose execution by electric chair he and his late son helped to orchestrate. Monster's Ball (2001) is based on a screenplay by actors Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who spent five years developing their script into a feature. Their title refers to the name of an English tradition requiring jailers to throw a party for a condemned man on the night before his death. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Billy Bob Thornton - Hank Grotowski
Heath Ledger - Sonny Grotowski
Halle Berry - Leticia Musgrove
Peter Boyle - Buck Grotowski
Sean Combs - Lawrence Musgrove

Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton star in the Oscar-winning Monster's Ball. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and appears to be in top-notch shape. With a vast array of vibrant colors, and dark, well-saturated black levels running throughout the film, Monster's Ball sports a nearly reference quality transfer. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, as well as Dolby 2.0 Surround, both in English. The 5.1 mix features a few well-placed directional effects in both the front and rear speakers. All aspects of the soundtrack are free of any hiss or distortion. Monster's Ball is packed with extra features, starting with two commentary tracks: one is by director Marc Forster and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, and the second by Forster, Thornton, and Berry. Both of these tracks should provide fans with added insight into the film's production and history. Four deleted scenes shine a spotlight on what ended up on the cutting room floor. Finally, there is about four minutes of behind-the-scenes footage featuring Thornton in rehearsal, an interesting featurette on the scoring of the film, plus a trailer for the film. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide