25th Hour
Review by
Clint Morris
 Remember how much you
appreciate that last night of freedom before the school year starts
again?
Or better still, think back to that last big
party before you started your job, or worse, left town?
You really do appreciate every damn minute
don't you - and just dread the thought of the sun coming up...
Now put yourself into Monty's shoes. He's
been snagged for drug dealing, and in the morning he's got to front up
for a 7-year jail sentence. Will he be able to genuinely enjoy his last
night on the town with his two friends and girlfriend?
Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is
re-evaluating his life after being busted on a long-overdue drug
indict. In the last hours before being shipped off to prison, he takes
to the town with his friends, one a school teacher (Philip Seymour
Hoffman) and the other a smarmy capitalist (Barry Pepper) - to get a
last few drinks together, and philosophize and converse about the
fearsome future that lies ahead for their friend.
A drastic departure for director Spike Lee (Do
the Right Thing, Malcom X),
character-piece 25th Hour relies much more heavily
on the human spirit and themes of comradeship and slip-up, than the
political snitch usually raised in his movies.
It's not so much what happens in this movie,
as to the narrative undersiding the actions. But even more, it's very
uncommon to see Spike using an all-white cast, when he's known for
casting largely African-Americans. But geez, has he picked some of the
finest white meat to employ.
Edward Norton, as Monty, is fantastic. Say
what you will about Norton, but he makes even the poorest of movies
play better.
In this film, he's really immersed himself
into the character, resulting in a performance that's credible,
touching and ultimately memorable. Without Norton's performance being
so rich and real, this movie could not have worked - because one does
have to feel for this commoner and his fatal mistake.
And as co-stars you really couldn't do much
better than Hoffman, Pepper, Dawson, Paquin and Cox, all superb in
their singular ways.
We mightn't get to know these characters as
well as we'd hoped, but it's a hard task squeezing 30 years of
someone's make up into a film set over 24 hours. All in all though, you
know these guys pretty darn well by the time the sun comes up on the
life-altering prospect - and feel their hurt and mêlée.
It's great to see Spike Lee doing something
different, and it's great to see cinema still has a place for
high-class, profoundly character-driven films like this.
4 out of 5
25th Hour
Australian release: Thursday June 5th
Cast: Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario
Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox.
Director: Spike Lee.
Website: Click here
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