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    Movie Review

    Monster cast elevates Netflix crime drama that doesn't quite meet the moment

    Alex Bentley
    May 7, 2021 | 12:56 pm
    Monster cast elevates Netflix crime drama that doesn't quite meet the moment
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    The reckoning over how Black people, and especially Black men, are too often regarded as threats by police and the public at large has been a long time coming. While there are examples of films confronting the issue going back decades, recent years have seen a notable uptick of filmmakers trying to illuminate something that has remained in the dark for much too long.

    The latest film to do so is Monster, which centers on Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), a clean-cut kid with a passion for filmmaking who happens to live in a not-so-good neighborhood in New York City. As the film begins, Steve is in jail for what we soon learn is being an accomplice to the murder of a convenience store clerk, a crime committed by neighborhood acquaintances Richard “Bobo” Evans (John David Washington) and William King (Rakim Mayers, aka ASAP Rocky) while trying to rob the store.

    The film proceeds to go back-and-forth in time, juxtaposing Steve’s life at home with his parents (Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson) and as a student in a film club with teacher Leroy Sawicki (Tim Blake Nelson) with his time in prison and on trial, along with interactions prior to the murder with Bobo, King, and other neighborhood kids. Crucially, though, it holds back much information about the crime itself, leaving it very much up in the air as to Steve’s guilt or innocence and raising the question of whether you can ever truly know someone or what they’re capable of.

    The film, directed by Anthony Mandler and adapted by Janece Shaffer and Colen C. Wiley from the book by Walter Dean Myers, spends the majority of its time at the trial for the crime, which has the unusual structure of having Steve and King being tried at the same time with two different defense lawyers. The trial is extremely fast-moving; it goes through witnesses so quickly and with so little information imparted that it would seem as if the filmmakers are trying to disorient viewers, preventing them from ably becoming a proxy juror.

    Harrison narrates much of the film through voiceover like his character is in a movie about his own life, and some of the footage is videos filmed by Steve around his neighborhood. There is interesting information in these scenes, including the pressures put on Steve from King, Bobo, and others, but Mandler, who’s mostly directed music videos in his career, appears to be more focused on aesthetics of the scenes than what they are actually trying to say.

    Ultimately, the film just lacks the requisite emotion necessary to draw in viewers. It has been on the shelf for so long — it premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival — that its impact has been usurped by other, better projects from its actors. Harrison starred in Waves, Jharrel Jerome won an Emmy for his part in When They See Us, and Washington starred in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, each of which had more insightful commentary about the Black experience than Monster.

    Still, the level of talent in the film is impressive. Harrison is a star through-and-through, and it’s easy to see why he’s been the lead in so many notable films. Washington’s part is not huge, but he has a presence about him that can be seen much more clearly in his other recent films. Wright and Hudson are the two award-worthy veterans who, despite a big gap between their ages, work well together as a married couple.

    The lesson Monster is trying to teach is not as clear as in other films of its ilk, but it still has enough to say to make it a worthwhile watch. If anything, it will be remembered as one of the earliest looks at the talents of Harrison and Jerome, who are well on their way to being reliably good movie stars.

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    Monster is streaming exclusively on Netflix.

    Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Monster.

    Kelvin Harrison, Jr. in Monster
      
    Photo courtesy of Netflix
    Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Monster.
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    Movie Review

    Stephen King film adaptation The Life of Chuck aims for the heart

    Alex Bentley
    Jun 13, 2025 | 1:20 pm
    Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck
    Photo courtesy of NEON
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    Just like actors, once a filmmaker becomes known for a certain genre, it can be difficult to escape that pigeonholing. Writer/director Mike Flanagan has worked for 20 years in both film and television, and literally every project he’s done has been related to horror. He’s finally breaking out with The Life of Chuck, which is ironically based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.

    Told in three chapters in reverse order, the film is almost impossible to describe without giving away its magic. The first section centers on Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher grappling, like everyone around him, with what seems to be the world falling apart. He’s comforted to a degree by reuniting with his ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), but is also baffled by multiple ads touting the retirement of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) after “39 great years.”

    The second section consists of little more than a slightly younger Chuck happening upon Taylor (The Pocket Queen), a drummer busking on a street corner, giving Chuck and a younger woman, Janice (Annalise Basso), the inspiration to start dancing. The final section goes back to the childhood of Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), where he’s raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), discovers dance as an outlet, and wonders about various small mysteries.

    Flanagan finds a way to deliver a lot of story with relatively little effort. Using a wry narrator (Nick Offerman), a limited number of locations, and a series of great small performances, he creates an intriguing premise with few straightforward answers. The structure of the film is designed to confuse the viewer until just the right moment, and the revelation forces you to reexamine everything that came before.

    The biggest accomplishment by Flanagan is making what are essentially three short films and having each of them resonate equally. The film contains elements of science fiction, although the first section may hit a bit too close to home for some of those watching. All three sections, though, have a heartwarming bent to them that sells their central idea without becoming overly saccharine.

    To do so, each of the characters have to connect in a short amount of time. The casting of the film is crucial, and not only does that department succeed with the main roles, but a series of small roles are filled expertly as well. Carl Lumbly as a funeral home owner, David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen as parents of students, Matthew Lillard as Marty’s neighbor, Q’orianka Kilcher as Chuck’s wife, and Jacob Tremblay as a teenage Chuck are just a few of the recognizable actors that do yeoman’s work in their brief time on screen.

    Hiddleston is only prominently featured in the second chapter, but his performance there and in small glimpses throughout makes a big impression. Ejiofor is given the star turn in the first chapter and he absolutely kills, both in moments by himself and in scenes with Gillan, with whom he has great chemistry. Hamill, making a rare non-voiceover appearance outside of the Star Wars universe, and Sara, in her first notable role in 11 years, are also very memorable in the final chapter.

    The Life of Chuck is a film that’s filled with emotion, but the full impact of the story is not felt until the final moments. It has a mysterious journey that is initially frustrating, but the performances keep the film going until it gets to its satisfying payoff.

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    The Life of Chuck is now playing in theaters.

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