25th Hour

Rating:
Summary: Lee and Benioff Make Neo Noir Classic
Review: Spike Lee's film of Michael Benioff's novel 25th Hour is one of the strongest of the neo-noir films of the last few years, and one of the few films to address the corruption of dealing drugs and the breakdown of culture symbolized by the WTC site. Edward Norton plays Montgomery Brogan, a heroin dealer who must report to the Otisville Federal Prison in the morning. Monty's life until this point has been a dream; he lives with a beautiful woman, drives a cool car, and gets into all the clubs, but financing this life is heroin and the Russian Mafia.

Edward Norton gives a typical strong performance - I'd love to see him and Johnny Depp in a film - making Monty a rich character who understands his own self-delusions. Barry Pepper and the ever wonderful Phillip Hoffman play Monty's more conventional friends, Slattery and Alinsky, the former a Wall-Street cowboy, and the latter a repressed English teacher in love with one of his students. Rosanna Dawson plays Monty's woman with understated power and sorrow.

Monty's final day of freedom plays out in clubs, parks, bars, and his memories, which Spike Lee weaves seamlessly in and out of the narrative, sparing us a moralistic explanation for Monty, a nice boy, ending up becoming a drug dealer, but showing us instead the parts of Monty's life that mean something to him: finding an abused pit bull, meeting Naturale, getting busted and interrogated by arrogant DEA agents.

The rant that Monty gives to his reflection is right out of David Benioff's book, nearly word-for-word, so stop blaming Spike Lee, and besides it's a great set piece, expressing Monty's self-loathing at the city which will go on despite him. Lee follows up this tour-de-force with all the people Monty cursed waving good-bye to him as he leaves New York, one of the most wonderful cinematic poems I've seen.

Monty is himself the City, broken, confused, and angry; beautiful, Monty wants to make himself ugly to protect himself from gang rape in prison, and he calls on his friends Slattery and Alinsky to beat him, horrifying them both.

Again, the flight of fantasy at the end of the film is right out of Benioff's book and not something Spike Lee made up, although Lee often extends the ends of his films (see Mo' Better Blues and Clockers), so Benioff's novel was right in keeping with Lee's style.

This is one of Spike Lee's best films, and it was totally disregarded at the box office, probably people want to pigeonhole Lee. But like all great artists, Spike Lee can transcend himself. I believe 25th Hour will be remembered as a great American film in the years to come.

Note: I would recommend you read David Benioff's novel, but the film is taken right from the book with few amendations, and those small changes - emphasizing 9/11, making Monty's father a fireman - improve Benioff's book.


Rating:
Summary: Spike Lee paid his tribute to the film noir!
Review: Spike Lee made it . This film is a brief account about the last freedom moments about a dealer who will be sent to prison the next day . These last moments are clearly selected for him to do what he mostly loves . He meets with his friends and decides to celebrate his last traces as a free man .
Spike Lee could to elevate the rank of this simply tale making a glorious art direction through unforgettable sequences without falling in the soap melodram .
Lee is very smart director but his approach to tell us a story employing skillyfully all the european taste and sublime expressiveness meant for him one of his most recognized works .
Bravo for Lee and Edward Norton who gave a top knotch performance.

Rating:
Summary: Rant Scene
Review: After reading other opinions of what Norton's rant scene at his father's bar symbolized, I was compelled to share my perspective, since it is diametrically opposite. I don't think this scene is racially motivated or much of an introspection. I think that this is an individual that is venting his frustration on the city (and its inhabitants), his family, friends, and himself. Everything that he knows in life has become disdainful to him (including religion). This is a man that is staring at an abyss that constitutes seven years in a maximum security prison and is dealing with it in this scene by verbally lashing out.

Overall, I think that Norton's character was well developed, with the usual good performance one would expect from a quality actor. However, I would have liked to gained more insight to some of the supporting roles, especially his girlfriend (Dawson) and his two best friends (Hoffman and Pepper). The cinematography was quintessential Spike Lee, with some of his trademark shots (such as what is ostensibly a still shot of an individual with a fading background, indicating that this person is moving forward). If you are a Spike Lee fan (which I am) or interested in New York culture, you will find this movie enjoyable. Otherwise, you will probably find this film pedestrian.


Rating:
Summary: The best acting (and movie moments) to come in a while...
Review: Most anyone who watches movies will know that Edward Norton is one of the top actors in the business today. Mr. Norton seems to out-do even himself in this wonderful movie. I shall refrain from rehashing the story behind this film since it has been done so many times elsewhere. This is more of a rebuttal for items written in other reviews. 1) The mirror in the restroom scene: Yes, Monty (Norton) is staring at his reflection in the mirror while his reflection speaks to him "f*** this ethnic group, f*** those people;" etc, etc...emphasizing how many others he could try to place the blame on. The point is, he says back to his reflection "No, f*** you." This scene has absolutely nothing to do with racism. This is a beautiful scene because it shows us that he IS a good guy and is blaming himself (and not others) for his actions. 2) The fight scene with his best friend: Earlier in the night he makes his friend promise to do one last thing for him without telling him what it is. Monty wants him to beat his face so he doesn't look so attractive to the guys he's going to meet in prison. In the end, his friend backs out and Monty ends up having to provoke him. One of the most incredible scenes I have ever scene in my life. 3) On a personal note to one of the earlier reviewers who says that Monty should blame the cops and not himself for being locked away...they're just doing their job. No one was making him sell drugs. He made the decision for himself and he rightfully took the blame for being locked away.