Last night I finally saw Monster, in which Charlize Theron does, as advertised, create one of the greatest characters in the history of the cinema. I don't think I've ever seen an actress give a more fully worked-out performance. Like Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York or Gollum in The Two Towers, Theron begins as an awesome special effect, then creeps her way back towards humanity. Just the way she throws her hair back from her forehead is enough to make you believe again in the possibilities of screen acting.

It's a shame that the rest of the movie isn't better. The film seems to have condensed around Theron's incredible presence, like dew on a mountaintop, and neither the screenplay nor the supporting performances are as fully realized as they should be; Aileen Wuornos is fully imagined, but her victims and victimizers aren't. I was reminded of Taxi Driver, another film about desperation and violence that centers around a landmark performance, but which generously develops an entire world around its tormented central character, so that De Niro rages against his city without overwhelming it. Still, it's a testament to the potential evident in Monster that I'm even making the comparison. As it stands, Patty Jenkins doesn't quite have the generosity of spirit to direct a movie like Taxi Driver, but someday, perhaps, she might.