No
one can argue that Spike Lee is a very determined and
heartfelt director. He is usually very driven and almost
always passionate about his work. "Do the Right
Thing" is one of my very favorite films, and
"Malcolm X", though I consider it to be flawed, was
an epic of the time. "25th Hour" is the most
original thing we have seen from Spike Lee in quite some time,
and is a steady departure from his string of documentaries
("4 Little Girls", and "Jim Brown") and
that television ad he directed for Al Gore. This is a
performance driven piece, which relies solely on it's actors
and lets us do most of the guessing for ourselves.
Edward Norton stars as Monty Brogan. After discovering
that he is going to go to prison for seven years thanks to his
dealings in the drug world, the film focuses on his last day
as a free man. During the course of this last day, Monty
makes peace with his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson), spends much
time with his two pals (Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Barry
Pepper), and even visits dear old dad (Brian Cox, who is
popping up in virtually every film nowadays, which is a good
thing). All the while he is trying to discover who
ratted him out to the cops. Monty's journey is
highlighted with the backdrop of a post 9/11 New York City.
We see patriotism, workers cleaning up the rubble, and
memorials all over the city. This really has little to
do with the plot itself, but shows that, as Monty's life is
changing, so is New York City, his home.
As I stated before, this is a performance piece. Edward
Norton delivers a phenomenal and Oscar worthy performance as
Monty, a man who knows that he will be going to
prison, but doesn't feel right accepting it until he knows who
put him there. Philip-Seymour Hoffman, as always, is
wonderful in an entertaining supporting role, as are Rosario
Dawson and Anna Paquin in their subsequent supporting
onslaughts. Then there is the 'Pepper Allergy', which is
what I use to describe anything starring Barry Pepper. I
can't stand Barry Pepper and I did not like him in this film
either. I think he is either, (a) overacting at a
"Poseidon Adventure" level, or (b) not acting worth
a flip. He just bothers me.
Spike Lee's "25th Hour" is a fine film, but still
possessed several flaws, which I thought ultimately took away
from the complexity and power than the film could have
achieved. There is one monologue when Monty starts going
off on the different types of people in New York, a slightly
disturbing scene which brought back memories of previous Lee
works. I felt that could have either been left out or
fine-tuned a bit more. It just came off wrong for me.
And, the endless references to 9/11 became annoying for me.
I see why he had them in the film, but it started to seem like
the film was actually about 9/11, with the backdrop of a bar
and a man facing prison; it was suppose to be the other way
around.
Overall, the performances are what made me enjoy this film so
much. I have never been an avid Spike Lee fan, but this
film makes me think there is hope for him after all. I
don't think this film is quite as powerful as many have made
it out to be, because the simple fact is - Monty deserves to
go to prison. He is a drug dealer and that is where he
belongs. We want to find out who ratted him out so we
can shake their hand and pat them on the back. I could
not feel sympathy for Norton's character, and felt much more
emotion towards Dawson and Hoffman. Alas, "25th
Hour" does manage to entertain, and reminded me of
"Glengarry Glen Ross" with some of the long
stretches of intense and well-written dialogue (it's certainly
no David Mamet, but it still holds it's own). Go see
this one -- you'll either love it or hate it. I was
caught somewhere in the middle. And, NO, contrary to one
review I read, this film does not seem like it was 25 hours
long.
Spike Lee films for
me are either terrific and engrossing stories, or else they are pretty
forgettable. "The 25th Hour" easily belongs in the
former category and is right up there with the best films that Lee has
ever done. This film is entirely an ensemble character driven film
with lots and lots of well written dialog. And at two and a half
hours long, the film doesn't drag a bit. Ed Norton proves once
again what a fine actor he is but there are five or so other characters
in this film who are given lots of screen time and the acting all around
is superb. I really like the way that Lee lets us know so much
about all of these characters so that we understand how they are
effected as well by Norton's character (Monte) going to prison for seven
years for drug dealing. It's not only about what Monte is going
thru prior! to prison, but how everybody around him is effected as well.
There is one scene where Monte's despair boils over and he starts to
blame all of New York for his problems. This scene was jolting and
probably unnecessary but riveting nonetheless. I've always liked
well done dramas with lots of interesting characters and sharp, real
dialogue. And "The 25th Hour" is a terrific film in this
genre.
James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )
Wow. If this is Spike Lee's joint, I want some of it. (Just kidding
kiddies, say no to drugs.) Seriously, this is one heck of a film. The
only thing I could possibly mark it down for, would be the opening shot
with the dog, it just didn't seem very good quality. The video was all
grainy. Maybe that was the intention, but I also kept wondering if that
was a flash forward or a flashback, or how far back it was? I just
didn't like it...perhaps a scene explaining how Monty found his dog was
cut out and they quickly shot another one...who knows...doesn't matter.
This flick is great. The acting is superb. Edward Norton gives an Oscar
worthy performance, but it's Barry Pepper and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
that steal the show, but unfortunately (for them) Anna Paquin steals it.
She sure has a come a long way since The Piano. Tony "the
goose" Siragussa was okay, but he did seem a little over-the-top,
but this a pretty good performance for a debut. The backdrop is NYC in
post-9/11 era, there's shots of mourning, ground zero, an one big
friggin rant by Monty Brogan...kinda unnecessary, but when he got to the
Enron part, I almost screamed "Booyah!!!" out loud! The
best thing about the movie is the end. It's kinda vague, so those who
think Monty should go to prison, can think that, and those who think he
has changed and should split town, can think that. Yeah, the last shot
is on some NYS road, but I'm not familiar with that, so who's to say
that road couldn't have been going out of town? It's a vague ending, and
you don't see that lately at the movies.
