10 Crime Films Based On Real Events
6. Monster Depicts Aileen Wuornos Taking Revenge On The Men That Wronged Her
Patty Jenkins’ Monster has gone down in legend both for its quality and the immaculate transformation of Charlize Theron into a damaged serial killer. The film depicts the life of Aileen Wuornos, an ex-prostitute who murdered at least seven men between 1989 and 1990 before being caught, convicted and placed on death row before she was executed in 2002. Since, her story has gone on to form books, documentaries and even an opera.
Wuornos suffered abuse growing up and throughout her adult life, claiming her motive for murder was that every victim raped or attempted to rape her at some point, and that she was acting in self defence. The story was highly publicised and Theron plays the role of Wuornos in a way that embodies her completely and to the point where she is unrecognisable.
In the film Patty Jenkins breaks down what a serial killer is and plays off shocksploitation with equal measures of psychological drama. The film allows you to take your own stance on the social victim vs serial killer debate, but while you're watching you won’t be able to take your eyes off the performance by Theron.