...has an observant, inspired, interesting and courageous approach that makes a strong lasting impression.
25th Hour (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:161
Fresh:125
Rotten:36
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: An intelligent and well-acted film despite the usual Spike Lee excesses.
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Spike Lee's bracing adaptation of David Benioff's novel is a vibrant, vital motion picture. Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan, a harmless drug dealer who has 24 hours of freedom before serving a... Spike Lee's bracing adaptation of David Benioff's novel is a vibrant, vital motion picture. Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan, a harmless drug dealer who has 24 hours of freedom before serving a seven-year jail sentence. Nervous, confused, and terrified, Monty turns to his closest friends for support: Frank Slattery (Barry Pepper), a cocky stockbroker who resents Monty for throwing his life away; Jakob Elinsky (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a hapless high school teacher who is attracted to one of his students (Anna Paquin); and Monty's heartbroken father (Brian Cox), who blames himself for Monty's demise. And then there is Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), Monty's beautiful girlfriend, who may or may not be guilty of ratting Monty out to the cops. Monty spends his last day trying to ignore the inevitability of time, but everyone and everything only reminds him of the bleak, unpromising days that lay ahead. With 25TH HOUR, Spike Lee revisits the fiery territory of 1989's DO THE RIGHT THING. Frustrated by Hollywood's cold shoulder toward the tragedy of September 11th, Lee attacks the subject with fervor, resulting in a film that brilliantly captures the mood and atmosphere in New York City in the months following the attack. The film features stellar contributions from composer Terence Blanchard, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, and Lee's ensemble cast. [More]
Starring: Edward Norton, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Barry Pepper
Starring: Edward Norton, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson
Director: Spike Lee
Director: Spike Lee
Screenwriter: David Benioff
Producer: Julia Chasman, Tobey Maguire, Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Reviews for 25th Hour
Lee has supplied us with stimulating fodder before that unsparingly took us into the depths of issues dealing with swept-under-the-rug subject matters...he’s just as formidable, resourceful and passionate about delivering a timely message
I still think that Mr. Lee has come closer than he ever has before to making the great film about New York City that David Thomson hoped from him in a favorable mini-bio in The New Biographical Dictionary of Film.
A very strong movie that's ultimately about the choices we make. And inside of it is a smaller one--an ode to a city that impressed me immeausrably.
There are flashes here and there of touching moments and telling conceptualization.
25th Hour is a thought-provoking meditation on human beings, the choices they make and their ability to change.
It does for post-9/11 angst what Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities did for '80s Wall Street Yuppie greed. Spike Lee is still making Do The Right Thing, and we could certainly use a movie like that right now.
Norton's powerhouse performance is a roiling, riveting fusion of rage and regret, fear and desire.
For those who might have written the director off, 'Hour' will be a stunner. Lee handles the material with a minimum of gimmicks... This is easily his best film since 'Malcolm X.'
...begins with great intentions but somewhere in the first thirty or so minutes of the film it becomes disconnected and weightless.
Lee finds subtle and clever ways to link the narrative with the setting, allowing the gaping hole in the middle of Manhattan ... to become an all-encompassing metaphor for both the pains of life and hope
Features a number of scenes of individual power that, ultimately, do not add up to a film of the same level.
Lee and his cast are so adept at getting us acquainted with Monty and these other people that we wind up feeling like we've known them for years.
Edward Norton gives a poignant performance, but the film gives in a little too much to sentimentality.
Lee uses film like a wild-eyed protestor dousing himself with gasoline and striking a match.
One of Spike Lee's greatest films -- seamlessly merging personal drama against a canvas of larger social significance on a level worthy of Do the Right Thing.
A rich tapestry of life that contains more memorable performances than you can count, it is one of last year's best films.
Latest News for 25th Hour
December 13, 2007:
David Benioff on The Kite Runner: The RT Interview
Adapting a book into a feature film can be a daunting task, especially when it is one of the best selling books in recent history. But David Benioff, the screenwriter of The... More...
March 23, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of
Tension: it's the key to many a film, and this week's wide releases bring three variants on that theme. We've got a hostage situation ("Inside Man"), class conflict... More...
December 09, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Inside Man
Looking for a good cop thriller from Spike Lee that stars Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Willem Dafoe? I know I sure do. But for now, this... More...
December 07, 2004:
Wolverine Spinoff Has a Screenwriter...and Maybe a Director
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