Fresh from her Best Actress-winning performance in the 2003 thriller "Monster," Charlize Theron appears to be taking another shot at Oscar gold. "North Country," based on a real-life story, reinforces Theron's ability to play the suffering, downtrodden woman as she battles her way through the working-class abyss with an unrelenting "stick-it-to-the-man" attitude. Fortunately, unlike her serial-killing prostitute in "Monster," Theron's character doesn't seem to take the notion of "sticking-it-to-the-man" literally, preferring to challenge the powers that be with a stringent lawsuit and steel resolve.

Mobilizing her best '80s haircut and rural Minnesota accent, Theron stars as Josey Walls, a hardworking mother of two struggling to maintain her dignity despite an abusive spouse. Eventually deciding she's had enough, Walls hauls the kids up to her hometown, a bastion of iron mining. Against the wishes of her perpetually disapproving parents (Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins), Josey is convinced by her friend Glory (Frances McDormand, reviving her goodhearted-yet-tough-as-nails character from "Fargo") to take a job in the male-dominated mines.

"You know they don't want you here," Glory opines on her friend's first day of work; she's referring to the pervasive resentment from the male miners who see female co-workers as a threat to their masculinity and their livelihood. Indeed, Josey's initiation into the job is supplemented with a continuing cycle of sexual come-ons, vulgar practical jokes and physical intimidation. The scenes within the mining factory are both intense and realistic, capturing the brutal, physical nature of Walls's work and the sexual humiliation that often accompanies it.

Faced with increasing hostility from her co-workers and the callous indifference of company bigwigs, Walls's enlists a sympathetic lawyer (Woody Harrelson) to challenge the mine in a sexual harassment lawsuit. Unfortunately, the legal battle itself, presented as the elemental struggle of the film, fails to captivate on a basic level. In lieu of actual realism, the trial is a reiteration of a cinematic cliche, complete with dramatic lawyerly posturing, witnesses breaking down and the whole courtroom occasionally freaking out.

Despite its weak third act, "North Country" elicits our affection and sympathy. Theron is at the top of her game, instilling Walls with a rare combination of fragility and grit, while McDormand further solidifies her reputation as one of the most dependable actresses in Hollywood. Director Niki Caro ("Whale Rider") could stand to take a few film-school classes in nuance - her need to have Walls constantly watching the 1991 Anita Hill sexual harassment hearings on television is simply overwrought and contrived. Even so, "North Country" stands as a strong exploration of blue-collar female courage, cementing Theron's newfound position among the business's most talented actresses.

Film Review: 3 out of 5 stars