FILM REVIEW: 'Monster' reveals pain behind 'Anger'

Richard Whitrock
University Wire
07-29-2004
(The Daily Cougar) (U-WIRE) HOUSTON -- The movie is not the band, and their music is not the movie. Like a mantra, the words slowly spill themselves onto the page in a struggle to identify, categorize, and quantify "Some Kind of Monster." With each rendition, the words get darker, forcing permanence, but then ebb lighter between the resurgence of the edict.

Then it disappears -- because it isn't true. Metallica has built a career resisting definition and categorization, and it seems that their latest release (a documentary of the making of "St. Anger") has been infected with these properties.

Whether by design of the directors or by accident, the movie cannot be separated from the band or its music, because in truth there is no line of separation. The cameras and the band form a symbiotic relationship artfully portrayed in the film and, in the end, makes it impossible to distinguish between them and their final products: the film, and the album.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the film is the not-so-subtle, yet far-from-obvious way in which the album's songs and their development get explained throughout the movie. The visuals and events are seamlessly woven into the music at various stages of development and create an elegant portrayal of the music that is nothing short of a revelation for fans familiar with Metallica's work and a fascinating insight for those who aren't.

What makes Monster work, in the end, is its uncompromising and surprising self-awareness. The film doesn't get mired in exposition about the past but lets the events and history reveal themselves naturally through visuals and references from the subjects themselves. It doesn't hide the fact that the cameras are an intrusion, that there is a fifth wheel, nor does it try to pass itself off as an objective, uninvolved essay.

While there are many funny parts in the movie, the overall tone is serious and doesn't stray too often, much to the benefit of the film as a whole. The story arc takes viewers from the very beginnings of the album at an abandoned military barracks to a live performance after its release, encompassing many aspects of the band's eventful life during filming.

Drummer Lars Ulrich's controversial involvement with internet file-sharing program Napster is mentioned within the first two minutes of the film, and is later given a more in-depth treatment. In perhaps the funniest moment of the film, the directors included a cartoon dealing with Ulrich's threats against Napster that is worth the price of admission alone.

Fans looking for an explanation of why bassist Jason Newsted left the band will find some answers here. Easily the finest scene of the movie is Dave Mustaine's heart-wrenching therapy session with Ulrich where he openly deals with his ouster from Metallica and the ridicule, pain and loneliness he was forced to live through in the aftermath. It is enough to thaw even the most hardened movie-goer.

Much of the movie centers around frontman James Hetfield's near year-long stint in rehab for alcoholism and the havoc that his problem and extended stay in rehab caused for the rest of the band members. Hetfield's return, however, seems to only add to problems instead of smoothing things over.

As relationships between the band members gradually mend, the film thankfully does not rush to an ending but shows the long, slow process of healing, offering an excellent and realistic picture of where the band is by the end of filming.

Whether a die-hard MetalliFan or someone who finds themselves thinking "Metalli-who?," "Some Kind of Monster" is an enjoyable, important work that everyone should find entertaining and well worth the ticket price.


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