By Marc S. Sanders
Black Hercules is a new documentary short showing at the AFI Film Fest 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Directed by Emmy nominated director Rodney Lucas, the film manages to provide an in-depth exploration into body builder Craig Monson. Mr. Monson was raised in the South Central area of Los Angeles where like many people of color he experienced the challenges of oppression and unfair treatment in an often unjust legal system. Yet, Black Hercules takes an optimistic approach in part because of Craig Monson’s proud recollection of his life. He did not live an easy life, but he only smiles about his ongoing survival.
In just under ten minutes, Rodney Lucas’ camera covers Craig as an elderly man, who still works out every day maintaining a muscular and healthy figure with a signature grey goatee that only feels as welcoming as Santa Claus. This is someone I could have a beer with on a Sunday afternoon while listening to his various anecdotes. With Craig’s voiceover describing his past encounters, Rodney Lucas offers a plethora of home movie footage and photographs that paint a colorful and engaging life that has been well lived among personal hardships.
I could easily tell how much Craig valued his mother. In South Central, there are no luxuries like an indoor gym with top of the line weights and equipment. Therefore, Craig’s mother made a gym in their backyard for both her son and the neighboring black men to work on building up their bodies. The equipment they relied on are described as “concrete weights.”
As Craig continues on, you not only get an idea of the challenges he faced, but a descriptive sense of what South Central is like. Rodney Lucas provides quick cuts of people in the community dancing and working in the local beauty shop. In order to survive, Craig had to resort to dealing dope and weed. Eventually, he was incarcerated for five years within the infamous San Quentin Penitentiary. He might have committed drug related crimes, but was his punishment just? Nevertheless, Craig Monson makes the most of his time there where he earns the respect of his fellow inmates as one of the physically largest residents while helping them to work out as well. His confidence in himself and the body he’s proud of is only infectious to his fellow peers within prison.
A new chapter arises for Craig upon his release and suddenly this ex-convict is working out with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, an actor on his way to stardom with his role in The Terminator. Though spectators would cheer for the famed Austrian, Craig proudly declares that he was actually bigger than the super star.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Rodney Lucas who has a deep passion for documentary shorts. He explained that originally this film consisted of over eighteen minutes of footage, but he’s a filmmaker who prefers to take out a lot of the padding that resorts to only enhancing a message. Mr. Lucas finds a way to get a point across or a description included in a condensed period of time. That’s where I truly appreciated how the short film wraps up.
A terrific and subtle invention of the film is the framing of the moving picture. The cut of the film appears as if it is paper or photographs torn from a scrapbook or out of a spiral notebook. With a wealth of pictures from Mr. Monson’s life and some home movies, Rodney Lucas finds a way right from the start of the film to show a scrapbook narrative of this man’s life. The editing of the film briskly moves from childhood home life to time in prison and then onto the various show stages where Craig makes a name for himself in the world of bodybuilding competition.
With provided competition video, Craig Monson tells of how he had been adorned with titles of Mr. America Of Pasadena, Mr. Los Angeles, Mr. Orange County and so on. Yet, he would always come in second place. As one of the few black bodybuilders competing at the time, he could never achieve first place. One tale that will make viewers smile though is when he knew the audience considered him the best, despite the final judging, and then later a first-place trophy was delivered to his hotel room.
Black Hercules is an uplifting story of survival with a strong defiance to remain proud and confident in oneself. Rodney Lucas found that exceptional subject. Anyone else who lived a life like Craig Monson’s would likely choose to carry on with anger, bitterness and regret. Yet, Craig Monson had no regrets. Now, an older man that Rodney confirmed for me was still working out on a daily basis, Mr. Monson declares without compromise that the life he’s lived thus far has been a “helluva run” and he will be remembered forever.
This is a triumphant film destined to inspire a health and drive for bodybuilding, but more importantly to maintain a life of confidence and self-assurance.
Anyone who sees Black Hercules will never forget Craig Monson.
Seek out opportunities to see Black Hercules and I invite you to check out the trailer for the film here: https://wdrv.it/0692c7495
2 UNPAID MOVIE CRITICS!!!! 