25th hour.
after the Big Something happens, the movies usually end at that point and leave the aftermath as an event of little concern. the big explosion, the big hit, the big decision...all of that coincides with the start of the credits, leaving the "happily ever after" as the ending, even though things may have just begun.
spike lee handles 25th hour with a hands-off approach as it tackles the world of aftermath. it's after september eleven, the big blue lightsabres stick straight up over the former world trade centre, as monty brogan faces his last day of freedom before he gets sent to prison upstate for seven years. monty, played by the fearless edward norton, struggles with his life and how it lead him into this trouble, which is revealed slowly. meanwhile, his close circle of friends handle this change, trying to have one final kick at the can along with their own troubles.
the amazing thing is the usual polemic spike lee presents is muted substantially, keeping his politics more personal this time as everyone juggles their own trouble along with the city, which still has the veil of shock from the terrorist attack. monty knows he's going to prison, but he wants to find redemption or at least an answer to what's going on. he starts to doubt his girlfriend (the vivacsious rosario dawson), who's dealing with how this life ever got this far. his two friends (headstrong barry pepper and awkward philip seymour hoffman, becoming typecast as the perenially confused man) try to bring a wake to life but end up getting trampled by their convictions and weaknesses. brian cox plays monty's widowed father, who questions his parenting after alcoholism and involvement with the local mafia.
the tone in the movie is a bit choppy but on the whole, very melancholic, knowing that better days are long in the past. there are vicious highs, like monty's self-loathing monologue at everything he hates (which is both shocking and cathartic but real, bringing applause from the audience), but there are moments where things drift off a bit. some people may feel that the 25th hour is too new york-centric, but the mood is accurate as the city surveys itself, determining where it hurts and how it should heal. the "now what" mood hangs heavy and you wonder what you would do given that situation. spike lee is finally starting to show his maturity and i can't wait to see what he tries next.
Comments
Yes, I thought this was quite good. I thought about it for ages after I saw it & put Edward Norton up to #3 on my list of top 5's. I forgave Spike the use of too heavy score during the ground zero scene, and overlooked the 2 floating club shots. The last was just too gimiky for me, but then again, it's oh, so Spike - no?
Posted by: josie | March 1, 2003 10:41 AM