I was one of those guys into Metallica before the rest of the world ever heard of them. I don't say that out of some incessant desire to proclaim my loyalty as one of their true die hard fans, because I'm not. I haven't really enjoyed their musical output of the past decade, and much of what's interesting about them now has little to do with their music... the Napster debacle, guitarist James Hetfield's rehab, suing a perfume company that named one of their fragrances "Metallica," band members picking on each other in interviews, hiring a therapist to help them solve their problems with each other. I guess I make the claim because I've watched my onetime favorite band go from being young, hungry & cutting-edge, to becoming more like a dysfunctional family as they got bigger (and older). Some Kind of Monster isn't a biography or concert film, nor is it a Behind the Music type of career retrospective, although it contains some elements of all three. But it is a fairly candid documentation of a band on the verge of falling apart, much like a married couple contemplating divorce. And the title couldn't be more accurate...the film is at its best when its subjects are at their worst.

Again, this isn't the typical fan friendly souvenir. There's relatively little concert footage, and the studio scenes included here (shot during the making of the album, St. Anger ), mostly exists as backdrop to the drama unfolding within the band, particularly the power struggle between it's two founding members, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The tension between the two is already pretty apparent at the beginning of the film, which opens with the departure of longtime bassist Jason Newsted (who's very candid about his reasons for leaving). The band has hired psychologist Phil Towle to help them deal with the mounting animosity they feel toward each other. Much of the movie focuses on sessions between Towle, Hetfield, Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett (who's sort of like kid caught in the middle of a messy divorce), and producer Bob Rock. Some of these sessions are very revealing & surprisingly hostile, where very little seems to be resolved. Eventually, Hetfield checks himself into rehab to deal with his alcoholism, leaving his bandmates to ponder whether or not Metallica will continue at all. Of course, the band does march painfully forward to finish the album two years after they started it, but as the movie draws to a close, we are left with the impression that, while things may seem okay at the moment, Metallica is still a band that could implode at any time. Filmmakers Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky do a great job humanizing their iconic subjects. Hetfield & Ulrich aren't rock stars here...they are more like an old married couple desperately looking for reasons to stay married, and it takes a certain amount of bravery (or audacity) on their parts to allow the whole mess to be filmed, warts and all. While both guys display more than their share of self-serving pettiness, we pretty much end up liking these guys. Dr. Towle occasionally intervenes to the point where we think he's more of a middle-aged groupie, but it's obvious the band depends on him a great deal through most of the film. Ex-member Dave Mustaine (who went on to form Megadeth) is also seen in a revealing conversation with Ulrich, and the two air feelings to each other that have been festering for nearly 20 years since Mustaine was ousted - it's one of the more powerful scenes in the film (one I think will surprise many longtime fans of both bands). The movie goes on way too long, clocking in at a whopping 140 minutes, and probably could have been shorted by a half-hour. This may be blasphemy to Metallica fans, but I think the film would have been stronger had they done away with many of the studio performances & archival footage. Yes, they are interesting, but nothing compared to watching Hetfield, Ulrich & Hammett confront each other about their roles within the band. Hammett, in particular, garners the most sympathy from the audience, seemingly caught in the middle of a feud until he finally - and angrily - speaks his mind during a discussion about the album. Considering he's arguably the best musician in the band, the guy must have the patience of Job to have tolerated his minor creative role in Metallica for as long as he has. Some Kind of Monster is less about music than it is about communication, which is why the movie may be of more appeal to viewers who aren't into Metallica. For the most part, despite its length, the movie is candid and very entertaining, even though by the end, we're not sure anything has been truly resolved.

Some Kind of Monster sort of transcends its subject matter, and becomes a documentary that'll be of interest to audiences beyond the legions of Metallica fans. Much of that is due to the focus on the relationships among the principals, rather than their stock-in-trade. The film goes on too long, and one may question whether or not it warrants repeated viewings, but it definitely offers a unique & objective look at the personalities behind the biggest metal band in the world.