Mandler does an admirable job of conveying that message, which includes the grey area in almost every case that’s just not black and white. Netflix’s Monster (2021) is a flawed but effective drama about race and judgment that is layered between the lines of every level of the law. Though, that is just as much credit to Harrison as the script. This is similar to Courage Under Fire, a similar plot device that works there and does so here. It takes on a different meaning you didn’t know was there before. By the final time, he repeats the same action each time has a different meaning. He has a particular action that plays out at several points throughout the film. Monster has long been delayed (it first appeared at Sundance in 2018) and filmed before Harrison’s breakthrough role in Luce. The story is written in screenplay format, due to Steve’s passion for filmmaking, along with Steves journal writing which he does even in the courtroom.
The book begins with him in jail waiting for his trial to start.
Steve is on trial for a being a possible accomplice to a murder. He is stoic, always deferential, even a bit naïve. Monster by Walter Dean Myers Monster is the story about a 16 year old black boy named Steve Harmon from Harlem. Kelvin Harrison Jr continues an impressive run of films as of late. Netflix’s Monster is so well-acted, you can forgive many of the screenplay’s flaws and even the overused hand it plays. His story is of a black man on trial in America. In the book, Steve decides to film his experience. Steve wants to be a filmmaker and carries around his phone/camera trying to find his story. The film has an overused storytelling device incorporated in movies, television, and books these days. The film was adapted by Janece Shaffer ad Colen Wiley, and the screenplay has some noticeable differences from the source material. Steve certainly couldn’t be a murderer, right? His parents (played by Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson) are successful, loving, and are education-oriented. The three are gang-affiliated, and Steve comes from a good family while going to the best private school in the area. Steve is accused of robbing a local grocery market and killing the owner with three other local residents (including John David Washington, Jharrel Jerome, and A$AP Rocky) who live in the community. That’s the theme behind the Anthony Mandler freshman feature, adapted for the screen from Walter Dean Myers’ young adult bestseller. No matter what the evidence is or the accused’s reputation, all they will see is a monster in their eyes. Half of the jurors will automatically assume Steve is guilty by just the color of his skin. Steve ( Luce’s Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is filled with so much potential the possibilities for him are endless. She wants five to seven years for her client, a young black man accused of accessory to murder, as a lookout for a robbery. At least, that’s the impression you get from defense attorney Katherine O’Brien ( Saint Maud’s Jennifer Ehle). As the statement leaves his mouth, you find yourself skeptical that even he believes it. His words are racially charged and laced with cynicism.
“He looks the part to me” is the quip from District Attorney Anthony Petrocelli (Paul Ben-Victor). This review of Netflix film Monster (2021) contains no spoilers - the drama will be released on the streaming service on May 7, 2021.