25th Hour

source: 25th Hour

If I remember right, Spike Lee's "25th Hour" was the first movie to reference the September 11th attacks (and yesterday was the sixth anniversary). Given that the movie portrays Edward Norton's character reevaluating his life following a drug conviction, that may suggest that the attacks should have forced us as Americans to take a look at our actions over the years and how they may have led to the attacks. But whether or not that was the case, it's still worth seeing. A downer, certainly, but there's nothing wrong with that. While Norton's rant mirrors his earlier one in "American History X", it actually reminds me of the whole sequence in "Do the Right Thing" where the different ethnicities curse each other. Has the world just gone mad?! Anyway, it's far from Lee's best, but not bad. Also starring Brian Cox, Anna Paquin and Rosario Dawson.

As someone who was living and working in Lower Manhattan long before, during and after 9/11, this film is excellent. It is not only about what you see on the screen, During the entire film, Spike Lee shows how visceral the impact was to everyone living there. He did this in a very clever manner by using NYC (and regular people) in the background scenery for most of the film. I realized this more the next time I watched the movie. It should also be noted there is an alternate ending on the disc, and are dramatically different. Either way, it shows the powerful impact this tragedy had on everyone's psyche who lived there then, followed by the collective strength of the city and all the people to come back from such an attack. His talent as a director is shown by how deftly his touch is, to communicate such a powerful thing, all the while by doing so visually, in the background; not speaking about it at all. So, it is truly two films in one. It is a very good movie; one of Spike's best.

Kurosawa. Bergman. Wajda. Truffaut. Fellini. Spike Lee. What more needs to be said? Lee is true to his vision, and reflects his country, his people (the American people) his times, with an unflinching and critical eye. He shows a hatred for everything that is wrong with America, but at the same time he has a gentleness and a love for its people that takes him to a whole other level. He is simply brilliant. At the same time he indicts the capitalist mad dash to be number one, and the prison system that is there to catch the fallout, he softens the harshness with sly wit, as with naming the dog after Kostya's malapropism. He is savage at one moment, but with an underlying sweetness missing in someone, say, like Scorsese. Not many artists can do that.

5 of 10 With the number of fellatio references, you wonder if Spike realizes what he's doing with much of this movie. You wonder if Spike has been imprisoned in some way. It has it's clever moments and doesn't put you to sleep, which is why I'm not rating it much lower. Worth an afternoon matinee fee. It will make you feel good, if you're not selling drugs, going to prison, or friends with someone who is. It is occasionally insightful. Even though it concludes poorly, or maybe forced to avoid it seeming sad and depressing, the overall effect of the movie is positive. As for the industry talent, the acting is great. It carries the movie. The FX and sound, however, seem to be a project for people in training.

From the outset a melodramatic mash of contrived accents, contrived situations and contrived characters. For crying out loud, the movie begins with some skinny "gangster" in a leather trench coat rescuing a dog, which his Russian heavy refers to as a "bull pit" from some Brooklyn Bridge looking location. Of course, hauling it off in the trunk of his super slick, pristine vintage canary yellow Super Bee. When will these Hollywood directors learn that nobody really drives old 60s-70s muscle cars around in real life? Let alone in NYC? What an assault on the sensible.

This movie can stand above any big budget movie. There's nothing unique about the story. It's about a pusher (Edward Norton) in New York that is unremarkable in every way. Despite having a hard working parent, he chose the easy life, but it eventually catches up with him. His father comes to his rescue at the 11th hour, and his life changes forever. The character Edward Norton plays was about to get out of his old ways, but life catches up with him. He has life ahead of him with his girlfriend. He also has a father that's wise in matters of life. All comes to ahead in moment of life that is concentrated in one day. Superbly crafted story also with superb story telling by Lee, Norton, and Cox. A gem of a movie that I'm sure will be remade again in the future.

Whomever he enacts, watching Edward Norton is always a great pleasure. But this was beyond it, the film is one of the best films I have ever seen about human nature, friendship, life and hope. The tempo of the film never decreases and very appropriate flash backs enrich the movie as well. The feeling of entrapment and desperation never let the film to be depressed, even the director is playing with the feelings so well you get lost somewhere between entrapment and freedom.Besides the cinematography, music,plot,beautiful NY, excellent acting and directing you feel as if you go to prison instead of Monty. There is really not much to say...I have to admit it was much much beyond my thoughts....watch it you'll be amazed and won't regret!!

In an age of seamless film distractions (James Bond, XXX), finally a film maker has the guts to use main stream actors and an icon of a city in order to envelop the viewer in a tale of morality. This is not a bubble gum film wchich veers away from humanity, instead it is a film of extraordinary consequence. Especially following 9/11 and the distraught and cynical citizens that have been created, Spike Lee's film is a jewel amidst the ferocity of stupidity and eye candy. Without playing to our sympathies and insulting our intellect, Spike Lee challenges not only the viewer, but all members of life who choose to seek answers via their morality. 25th Hour, is a movie that not only should have been made a long time ago, but it is also a movie that needed to be made...