25th Hour (2003) Directed by Spike Lee, 135 minutes,
5.5/10 (125 votes)
About the Movie: 25th Hour is a eulogy, mourning the New York of post-September 11, 2001, and the regrettable life of one of the city's least reputable citizens. Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) isn't a bad guy--in fact he's a mensch, adopting a battered dog in the film's mood-setting opening scene, and leading a decent life with his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson)... when he's not dealing narcotics. Facing a seven-year prison term, Monty spends his last free night with pals (Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman) and visiting his understanding father (Brian Cox), while a Russian drug lord pressures him for getting busted. Lee directs this plotless, no-win scenario as the last gasp of a guy with nowhere to go, and the film (written by David Benioff, from his own novel) suffers from a similar loss of potential, lacking enough focus to make Monty's odyssey compelling. Instead, 25th Hour (which also costars Anna Paquin) rambles from scene to lazy scene, vaguely lamenting that lives have been wasted, some by terrorism, others by self-destruction. --Jeff Shannon
25th Hour Movie Trailer (71) 25th Hour depicts the last day of freedom
for a young man before he begins a
seven-year jail term for dealing drugs.
Prowling the city until dawn with his two
close friends, he is forced to re-examine
his life and how he got himself into his
predicament, which leads to a shocking,
disturbing finale. Stars Edward Norton,
Rosario Dawson, Barry Pepper, and Philip
Seymour Hoffman. Directed by Spike Lee.
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