I saw this on 2/3/2002. The story concerns three generations of white men in the Grotowski family (Buck, Hank, and Sonny, played by Peter Boyle, Billy Bob Thornton, and Heath Ledger, respectively and in decreasing age). They live together but don't like each other very much, and all are or have been corrections officers at the local prison, although Sonny doesn't have the stomach for executions. The older two generations are also blatant racists. The intersecting story is of Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry), a black woman whose ex-husband is on death row, who battles with her son over his eating, and who is in the process of being evicted. Of course Hank and Leticia get together for a well-publicized sex scene or two.
The main problem with this film is the script: what motivates Hank's 180º change from racist to lover? There are some vaguely possible explanations, but they really don't make enough sense.
The cinematography is, perhaps intentionally, gritty. The direction seems a bit erratic. But what really surprised me is that the performances, while quite good, did not live up to what I had expected based on other reviews. And speaking of other reviews, I should note that Roger Ebert named this the best film of 2001, but others have had much less kind words to say about it.
The main problem with this film is the script: what motivates Hank's 180º change from racist to lover? There are some vaguely possible explanations, but they really don't make enough sense.
The cinematography is, perhaps intentionally, gritty. The direction seems a bit erratic. But what really surprised me is that the performances, while quite good, did not live up to what I had expected based on other reviews. And speaking of other reviews, I should note that Roger Ebert named this the best film of 2001, but others have had much less kind words to say about it.