A reporter asks James Hetfield to describe Metallica's career with one word, a question that James seems to struggle with for a long time.  The beginning of the documentary seems to provide the beginning on the search for this word as the bass player, Jason Newstead, announces that he is leaving Metallica, as he does not feel that the band offers him a chance to fully develop his artistic qualities.  This is the beginning on a long uphill and narrow path, which they have to follow in order to save the band. For this purpose, they hire a therapist and performance coach, Phil Towle, to help them recover from the backlashes that the group dynamic generates.  Phil facilitates group meetings much like a marriage counselor, as he tries to save the band's future.  Through these meetings, the remaining members Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and producer Bob Rock get to vent their concerns that lie close to their hearts.

In a sense, the ordeal with Phil creates awkwardness, as there is a general preconceived notion of Metallica’s identity.  Metallica has shaped their stage identity over decades of performances where they have displayed an overtly tough, rock-n-roll, and “I-do-not-care” attitude.  These weathered and hardnosed rock artists seeing a counselor does not fit in with the profile they have worked hard on to create around them.  Yet, it is in this awkwardness where the audience will discover the true identity of the individuals in Metallica.  A humane and compassionate side emerges, as the viewers are allowed into their personal lives where they can view their hobbies, hear their thoughts, and see how they behave while trying to create songs together.

One of the most intriguing portions of the film is the brief moment of genius that delivers thoughts and ideas for the songs.  Together with the ideas and the relentless hard work, Metallica puts in their work in order to find a way to perfect their creations such as Sweet Amber, Some Kind of Monster, and Frantic.  Through the thousands of hours that Metallica endured in their recording studios where they tweaked and changed the sound and words of their songs and tunes the audience gets to see the source of their material.  Creativity pours out from their experiences and repressed feelings, which delivers a caged and furious monster.  This monster screams to get out, and on the record St. Anger, the audience can hear Metallica’s rage of this monster free itself.  Despite the seemingly hostile material Metallica does a brilliant job of exorcising their own demons, as they visit the San Quentin Prison to express their feelings through their lyrics and tunes.

Ultimately, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster provides a genuine story of how a personal struggle can affect a group of people.  The film does not depict the greatness, or the inadequacies of Metallica.  It simply depicts a small group of men trying to find a solution to a problem, instead of being a part of the problem.  This notion elevates the cinematic experience far above average cinema, as it truly offers some valuable lessons to ponder.  The product of the pain and suffering that the band went through gave them a chance to reunite and once again create an outstanding record offering much more than just mere words and head banging. Yet, one words seems to echo through the documentary, and it is the word anger, maybe this was the word that James was contemplating.

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