25th
Hour, marks a definite departure for director Spike Lee. It’s only the second
time (the other being Clockers ‘95), that Lee has directed a fictional film
based on a book, and one of only a few times that he has not written the screenplay
himself (or at least had a hand in it). The novel, by David Benioff (who also
penned the adaptation), is set in New York but, other than the familiar setting,
25th Hour bears little resemblance to the themes and characters that have inhabited
most of Lee's films. Race relations are not an issue here, and nearly all of the
characters are of the Caucasian persuasion.
25th
Hour confirms that Lee has a remarkably keen sense of cinematic style, that in
many ways are on par with such heavyweights like Scorsese and Spielberg. Unfortunately,
like even those brilliant directors, he has an occasional tendency to screw up
his own work.
Lee’s
latest revolves around the unhappy circumstances of the life of Monty Brogan (Edward
Norton), a drug dealer who has already been popped by the DEA. We pick up the
story as Norton has 24 hours before reporting to prison for a seven-year “Irish
Vacation.” During this period, which Norton treats as though it were the
last day of his life, he must bid sweet adieu to friends and preside over a farewell
party where he is the guest of honor at a nightclub where he has been a beloved
regular.
Norton
is a man with a lot on his mind, chief among these things is his suspicion that
it was his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), who turned him in. Monty Brogan
is a tortured soul staring down the barrel at a seven year tour of hell.
His
best friends are Jakob (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a depressed schoolteacher, and
Francis (Barry Pepper), a hot-shot investment banker. They support Monty, though
they privately harbor notions that he's getting what he deserves. Conversely Monty
loves his friends, but finds himself contemplating whether or not they might have
done more to prevent him from screwing up his fast-lane life.
25th
Hour has a depressingly real and visceral sense of doom throughout, and Norton's
depiction of Monty's regret, anger and sadness force us to reflect on what we
would do if we were in his shoes. Would we run for it, and live our life in hiding,
away from our loved-ones? His father, wonderfully portrayed by the always terrific
(Brian Cox) even suggests this, though it would mean perhaps never seeing his
son again.
Norton's
most shining moment as Monty is a lengthy soliloquy in front a mirror in which
he rails against every group in New York: blacks, cops, gays, Asians, Osama bin
Laden, everyone, on and on for what seems like several minutes, each vicious slur
more impassioned than the last. It's a riveting scene, that reminds of similar
talk-to-the-camera moments in "Do the Right Thing" (1989), but far more
inflammatory. This, scene of course is the most Spike-esque thing in 25th Hour
and will, not doubt, divide people into those who liked it and those who thought
it was over-the-top and Spike-indulgent.
There
is also a little subplot between Hoffman (a lonesome and horny soul) and one of
his under-aged students, played with reckless exuberance by Anna Paquin. Even
though it was kind of a plot detour, Hoffman creates one of those moments of awkward
pathos that he seems to have the patent on. This part of the film was given alot
more play in the novel - then again the novel showed that the night in question
was kind of a crossroad for all of the characters..
Where
Lee really shoots himself in the foot and compromises what would have otherwise
been a great film was his foolhardy insistence on tacking on a lot of post-9/11
references into the story. Jakob and Francis have a lengthy conversation in Francis'
apartment, which overlooks Ground Zero. On the one hand you have to admire Lee's
audacity for being the first to address the attack in a feature film. Then again
you have to feel that it was done for the sake of earning the footnote of being
the first. The story itself, written in 2000, didn’t profit from the stapled
on 9/11 baggage, and every time it pops up in the film, it stands out like a sore
thumb.
You could
also argue that the ending is heavy handed. I won’t give it away, but it’s
a bit of cinematic sleight of hand where you’re expecting one thing and then
you get another. Which would be fine if the big secret - this thing that’s
been whispered between Norton and Pepper all night, turns out to be kind of a
laughable ploy. It was made out to be such an earth-shattering secret and ultimately
turns out to be rather facile and stupid. Aside from those two complaints, I’d
recommend the movie quite highly, the cast and the acting alone are well worth
your time.
