A young black man is arrested and put on trial for allegedly being the lookout for a robbery gone wrong resulting a bodega shop owner being killed. The boy, a lild-mannered, hard working student is now in prison, in unfamiliar territory and with the world seemingly against him. As he endures through the legal battle for his freedom, will the scales o fair and balanced be just, or will he have to serve time for something he did not do?
This film came out all the way back in 2018, so I was surprised that it just now was released for people to watch on Netflix. There are actors in supporting roles in this film that have already starred in multi-million dollar blockbusters so it was interesting to see them back in a supporting role such as John David-Washington.
The uniqueness of ‘Monster’ comes form the storytelling style with editing and tone. It can often feel unbalanced and hitting the wrong emotions when the style takes precedence over the story. It’s a compelling story too, one that I was engaged in but realized when watching it kept swinging from one film to another in style, making it too uneven for me to get completely into.
Overall, ‘Monster’ is a compelling TV court episode or something from the likes of ‘Boston Legal’ but theatrically doesn’t stand up for me to recommend seeing on a bigger screen than Netflix.
