In the hours before an execution, prison guards keep a condemned man company. The guards refer to the gathering as the Monster's Ball. Hank Grotowski is one of those prison guards, and he, in his own way, is also condemned, though he doesn't know it yet.

Hank, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a racist. His father, who was also a prison guard, is also a racist. Early on, you get the idea Hank is a racist for the same reason he's a prison guard -- because that's simply the way he was raised. When he chases some young black kids off his property with a sawed-off shotgun, it seems like he's just going through the motions out of a sense of duty, not out of true hatred. Every morning as he goes into work, Hank stops off at the local diner for black coffee and chocolate ice cream. Maybe this is the screenwriters' way of telling us that he really doesn't hate all things dark in color.

After a tragedy in Hank's life, he suddenly decides to make a change. He quits his job and decides to run a gas station. He also decides it's not too late in life to start correcting his sins. His redemption comes in the form of Leticia Musgrove, a black woman, played by Halle Berry in a devastating performance. Leticia is perhaps the most put-upon character in the history of film. First, her husband Lawrence, a convicted murderer is put to death by Hank and his men. Then there's her son, Tyrell, who is dangerously obese. She can't hold a job, she's being evicted from her home and to top it all off, she drives the most pathetic excuse for a car you can imagine. Then, just as her misery is compounded by yet another tragedy, fate brings her to Hank.

These two people, who have experienced so much pain, give solace to each other. Astoundingly, the racist prison guard falls for a black woman. This leads to what is sure to be one of the most talked about aspects of the movie -- the long, fairly explicit sex scene between Berry and Thornton. It may seem gratuitous to some, but I would argue it's essential. Seeing the carnal side of their relationship, helps us to understand the relationship as a whole. The scene is intercut with shots of a bird in a cage -- and in the scene, the characters become uncaged -- and receive the love that is lacking in both their lives.

Thornton and Berry aren't the only ones who deliver fine performances. Peter Boyle and Heath Ledger are terrific as Hank's father and son, respectively. Rapper/music mogul Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs is also surprisingly good as Leticia's condemned husband.

This is a movie that says even the most miserable, can transform their circumstances, if they're bold enough to seize the opportunity. It tells us, in a stark and wrenching way, that it's never too late to make a change.
(c) Copyright 2002