Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee has finally returned to making the kind of film that first shot him to prominence in the 1980s. Spiced with an underlying social consciousness, 25th Hour is an emotionally charged drama that tracks the last day of freedom for a convicted drug dealer.

Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is a man that’s made the wrong career choice. Rather than taking the high road like his stockbroker and schoolteacher friends, Monty’s been following the low route as one of New York’s powder peddlers.

After a few good years “living off the misery of others”, as his Wall Street friend Frank terms it, Monty finds himself betrayed and his apartment the subject of a police raid. When a kilo of the hard stuff is found inside his sofa cushions, the young man is slugged with the prospect of seven years in maximum-security hell.

With just 24 hours to go before being required to check himself into jail, Monty sets out to make sense of his wasted life, and to select the direction for his future. His choices are: going to prison and hoping the years as some psycho’s bed pal don’t destroy him, making a run for it knowing that he’ll never see his loved ones again, or “catching the bullet train” (another gem from Frank the stockbroking wordsmith). In a long day to remember, Monty’s decision isn’t clear until the end.

The acting in 25th Hour is varied, with some of the cast outstanding and some merely adequate. In the latter category falls Norton (Red Dragon, Fight Club), who doesn’t quite live up to one of his own maxims. Recently the 33 year old actor said, “I’m an actor and, each time out, I’m trying to convince the audience that I’m this character.” For 25th Hour, he is quite convincing as a man questioning his future and the value of his life. However, it’s hard to picture Norton’s character in the seedy and violent profession of drug dealing. It’s not one of Norton’s finer performances, but good enough to propel the storyline.

As the confident and mouthy Frank, Barry Pepper is a revelation. The Canadian actor, who’s best known for his role as the sniper in Saving Private Ryan (1998), delivers some of the film’s lighter, and darker, moments with incredible conviction and a rare style. Pepper holds the audience well and proves that he wouldn’t be out of place in a leading role.

The mid to late 1990s saw Spike Lee take leave from his strengths as a filmmaker. Projects such as Girl 6 (1996), a cutesy story about phone sex, were as far removed from the acclaimed and socially conscious Do the Right Thing (1990) and Malcolm X (1992) as it was possible to get. However, 25th Hour sees Lee back doing what he does best.

Although very much a character driven story, Lee’s 25th Hour is never remiss in portraying a New York that’s clearly lost whatever innocence it possessed prior to the tragedy of 911. Whether it be from the subtle looks on the faces of the city’s masses, or shots of the World Trade Centre wound as seen from affluent Frank’s apartment, Lee ensures that the Big Apple’s sense of loss accompanies Monty’s with stunning effect.

25th Hour is one of the surprise packages of 2003. Thought provoking questions, tense drama, and interesting characters combine with the return of Spike Lee and his timely social snapshots to make the film memorable in the extreme. Although its 135 minute duration could be excessive, Lee’s return to his day job earns three and a half stars.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age