© DR - 24H AVANT LA NUIT de Spike Lee (2002) p4 par tellurikwaves blog (75 Paris)

Author: tastyworm from Melbourne, Australia
8 November 2004
'I tattooed 'survive' on my hand the night before I went away to prison. And I did. We do what we have to do to survive.'

I don't think I can remember a film that has put me more on an emotive level with the main character as this film has. Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan – he's not the nicest of people by anyone's standards – and certainly no one you should feel sorry for. But having said that, I have never felt so sorry for the bad guy as I did watching this film. We watch the anguish of Monty during his last 24 hours on the 'outside' before he must go to prison for seven years, knowing completely what is in store for him on the 'inside'.Set in post 9/11 New York City, we are constantly reminded of humanity and the need to bond together and to make the most of the little time we have; as do Monty's friends, including Jacob Elinsky (Hoffman), a confused and self-tortured school teacher who has strong feelings for one of the students in his class, Mary (Paquin – of X-Men and The Piano fame).

Although not about to die, Monty's world is about to turn severely bad, and there's nothing he can do about it. Norton's performance made me feel nervous and quite scared on his behalf, almost to the point of feeling nauseous. It made me want to forgive him, forget about his crimes and let him go (he seemed sorry for what he did – he was no longer a drug dealer – he was trying to make an effort). His performance worked. He had successfully transformed the criminal figure into your best mate and buddy, perhaps even yourself, and you genuinely feel sorry for him.Director Spike Lee's films usually deal with African-American themes, so it came as a surprise to me to find that this film was something very different – proving that Lee's talent extends across multiple genres and styles.I highly recommend 25th Hour, not just for the brilliant story, but for the emphatic feelings the film imparts on the viewer.

25th Hour, A Film With Sway!

For myself, watching 25th Hour was sort-of like taking a palm reading. Noticing one line, representative of a life-path, stretches out long and far, while another line branches off and stops short in the middle of your palm. You question which life path will you take, and which are you currently on now. Are you one the short one or the long one? You question the various choices and decisions that you made in the past, and which life-line have those choices and decisions ultimately lead you down. In a round-about way, the three characters in Spike Lee's 25th Hour are struggling with these same kind of questions. Based on a novel by David Benioff, the film is essentially three people struggling with the choices that they have made in their past, and the choices they are to make in the future -- and which path will it ultimately lead them down.

Edward Norton stars as Monty Brogan, a man whose life decision, becoming a drug dealer, has left him facing a seven year prison term, "...with 84 days off with good behaviour." It's the morning before, and Monty has twenty-five hours left to examine his life, bond with his closest friends, say goodbye to family, find a home for his dog, and figure out a way to survive in the joint. At one point, Monty's friend refers to his incarceration, as "...going to hell and never coming back," and the audience gets the feeling that it's not just a coy metaphor. If Monty does survive his "time"he will most assuredly not be the person they once knew when he gets out Even though he has grown distant from them over the years, Monty chooses to spend his remaining hours with his closest friends from childhood, Jacob Elinsky (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Frank Slaughtery (Barry Pepper)

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Socially and economically, these are two of the most dissimilar people one is likely to see spending time together in a film. Their only real connection is the deeply entrenched devotion they feel to their friend. Jacob is a nerdy English teacher, whose gift for the language, has done little for his social skills. His self-doubt and shame for being born wealthy has left him single, lonely and in a thankless job. He desperately yearns for one of his students, a beautiful and precocious seventeen year old, Mary D'Annunzio (Anna Paquin), but is afraid to act on it, fearful that such a decision will lead to him being fired from his job, or even worse, arrested. Frank, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of the character spectrum, he's a good-looking, rich Wall Street trader, who, unlike, his nebbish friend, has never had a problem with the ladies.

Also unlike Jacob, Frank is much more forthright in his feelings about life, and his friend's impending incarceration, "He profited from other's misery and he deserves what he gets," he tells Jacob. Norton's character also has a girlfriend, Naturelle, played by Rosario Dawson, whom he believes might have been the one who sold him out to the police. There's also his father, played by Brian Cox, a retired fireman who owns a bar on Staten Island which caters primarily to fire fighters. Each of these people, in their own way, blames them self for what is happening to Monty.The story propels forward when the three childhood friends gather in a nightclub, with Jacob's student, Mary, and Monty's girlfriend, Naturelle, tagging along. It is what happens in this club, on this night, that provides the core of the movie. The accusations that are made, the favor that is asked, the choices that are acted upon, and the truth that is revealed, will stay with these characters long after the 25th hour has widdled and gone away.

Will these friends be willing to enact Doyle's Law, in a figurative sense, and save Monty Brogan, the symbolic beaten dog?25th Hour is also memorable for grappling openly with the aftermath of September 11th. Lee skillfully immerses it into the subtext of the story. Referenced in pictures of fire fighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, which adorn the walls of the local sports bar and the uptown offices of the traders; to the mention of Bin Laden in a particularly biting commentary by Monty; to Frank Slaughtery's defiant refusal to move from his apartment, which sits overlooking the ruins of the Twin Towers. Director Spike Lee, never known for being subtle, thrusts these images, and his obvious anger about it, into the viewers lap and compels them to deal with it.

Also memorable is the venomous diatribe by Norton into a bathroom mirror, where he verbally attacks every group in New York regardless of ethnicity, sexual preference or socioeconomic standing. Not even the church or JC himself, is safe from his tirade, which ends when Monty realizes the only person he has to blame for his predicament, is the one staring back at him in the mirror.The whole film plays in a subdued, almost depressing, tone. There are no laughs to be had, no falsely engineered moments where the characters break bread, and cry, and get all remorseful -- none of that. We feel as Monty feels: perplexed, distressed, unsure of those things to come and angry for how he happened to arrive at this place, and moment, in his life -- his last 25 hours.

Wow, what a great movie. That's the first thing that passed through my head when the credits started rolling. This is the story of a man's last day of freedom before starting a 7-year prison sentence. Funny, how they almost never (if ever) use the words "prison" or "jail".Edward Norton is great as Monty, and so is the inimitable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays one of his best friends. I always enjoy watching both these actors. Hoffman plays a prep-school English teacher who has the hots for one of his students. They run into each other at a nightclub where a big party is thrown for Monty on his last night of freedom. She's not innocent but she is naive. They have an intense moment together at the club.

The movie is not really about prison or even what Monty's crime was. It's about all the things Monty has to do to wrap up his life before "going away". It's about the things people do to get what they want. It's about the realities of "going away" and the difficult emotions of all those involved. There's a brilliant scene where Monty's deepest hate and rage surface, that is very reminiscent of a scene in another great Spike Lee Joint, Do the Right Thing. He basically says F everybody, and then at the end of the scene, F himself. He has nobody else to blame for anything. He alone has ruined his life.

This movie made me think about what I would do if I were in his position. How would your parents react if you were going to prison? How would you say bye to your mom or dad? How about your spouse? And your closest friend? What about your dog?It is a thoughtful film that is not about one particular thing. It does not try to get in your face with a single message, but has many messages.

Honestly it's the best movie I've seen in my 25 years. I've seen it a dozen times now, and I love it more every time. The plot is perfect, the acting is perfect, the cinematography is perfect. The ending segment with Monty and his father is about the most powerful I've ever seen. So many unforgettable scenes in the movie:Frank & Monty at the club the last night- The "make me ugly" scene- Monty and his dad in the car If you haven't seen it, go get it right now. You can't miss this one.

I found this film to be amazing. It deals with a lengthy jail sentencing as though it is the diagnosis of a fast moving terminal disease out to alter and end one' life. The film has such complex, deep characters with so many contradictions that make this movie so compelling. While Lee usually focuses on the issue of Black and White in America,a world of people whose likability and character are in the gray are captured wonderfully Technically the film is superb.The score the cinematography, the editing are all spot on.The cast is perfect, particularly great performances by Norton and Pepper. Rosario Dawson is so eye-catching in the film. Lee and the script do a great job touching on the subjects of misplaced rage, race, and distrust.

This is the only movie that I've seen that doesn't over-look the anxiety and impending sense of doom for those affected by a conviction-the convicted, and his/her friends or family. Hollywood only seems interested in the show of the trial or the fear and savagery of the prison film.This is just a wonderful drama, that is so moving, and leaves you thinking about it days later. It hits everything right, and mixes the right amount of suspense (who is the Judas?), a perfect touch of humor, and it illustrates the complexity of human relationships among friends, lovers, and family. It just might motivate some to analyze their life choices and consequences, who are those that are true to them, and what matters to them.

Only in our society do we find it inhumane for having the state ends someone's life for crimes they've been convicted of, but find it completely humane to have their life end or be taken in a small cell out of the society's view, or to rob them of hope with long sentences and hiring practices regarding convicted felons.

Director Spike Lee poses the question: Can you change your whole life in a day by wishing it were so?

Taps for A drug Dealer

The last day of freedom for Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) before a seven-year drug dealing term starts on the promenade overlooking the East River as Monty ponders his life. Born into an Irish family with an alcoholic father (Brian Cox) and an angelic mother, Brogan though short won a prep school scholarship for basketball. On his sad walkabout Brogan revisits the school with his dog Doyle. Doyle is no ordinary dog. Brogan on the way to a drug deal found the battered Doyle by the side of the road and brought the battered animal to a Vet.

At the school Brogan learns his youthful laurels have been surpassed by later students and his records broken. Regretfully though a star player, Brogan had been cut from the team before graduation. Brogan had discovered it more profitable to sell drugs to rich kids at the school rather than play basketball. There is a certain charm to Monty Brogan despite his chosen career in drugs. Yet it is difficult to feel even a little sympathy for a man who has exchanged dreams of court-side seats at Madison Square Garden for the dock in a different forum or even to despise whoever might have turned the wretch in.

In the hours before execution of sentence, Brogan must question who betrayed him: his girlfriend Naturalle is as likely prospect as his business associate Kostya. In a disturbing looks at himself in the mirror, Brogan is quite frank in his hates: The Catholic Church, The clannish Italians, The Irish firemen, the patrons of his father's bar all killed at the World Trade Center, The Diamond Merchants, Blacks who in his opinion can't really play basketball and immigrants of all types. Did Brogan leave anyone out?

Edward Norton plays Brogan the centerpiece of the drama with consummate persuasion. Yet at 6'1" he is hardly the scrawny Irish kid who leaped onto the basketball court with a fury. Nor is Norton, the son of a polished Baltimore barrister, from a dysfunctional home in the nether world of the borderline between poverty and respectability. Yet Norton carries Brogan so well that the Brogan character melds into the film's remarkable, excellent, realistic local color from New York. As Brogan rants how much he hates his father, the viewer flows in a flashback right into Brogan's father's tavern with off-duty city firemen cheering the NY Yankees on and is flashed ahead to the wreaths laid in their memory against a wall. Brogan's drug money kept the bar afloat.

How Brogan wishes he had invested the loot with a high school friend who became a successful trader on Wall Street. Although the screen play is ambitious and daring in trying to make a sympathetic character out of slick drug dealer in final days before imprisonment, the well-drawn characters plod through wholly believable situations in Spike Lee's terrifying, raw look at society and penetrating study of Irish Americans. On his last fling, Brogan takes his high school chums for a visit to one of those Manhattan clubs where the drug world, the haute monde and the mob intersect, certainly the type of den of inequity which could produce the traitor.

Surrendering faithful Doyle to one of his friends, Brogan demands a beating from the other so that he'll look tough enough for prison. His father arrives to drive Brogan to Otisville, but privately offers to send him into hiding. Brogan vividly imagines the type of life he could lead on the lam or does Brogan imagine going to jail?Lee captures in a fleeting seconds at the end what few outsiders understand about the duality of the minds of the Kelts and the power of the dream world and the imagination

Just as I was about to burn my DVD player and go back to stamp collecting, and after enduring so many mediocre, juvenile, girlie, shallow, and forgettable 21st century films, I finally found a movie worth raving about. "The 25th Hour" had everything you'd expect in a 1st class film. Edward Norton and Barry Pepper did an outstanding job running their emotions from one extreme to another. Despite being 2 reprehensible characters, they were able to elicit our sympathies and find some goodness in them. We found ourselves warming up to Monty for his love for his girlfriend, his father, and his dog. And we applauded Frank for his convictions towards his life-long friend, Monty.

Rosario Dawson played a very sexy and convincing girlfriend who stood by her convicted lover. The scenes of New York and the references to the World Trade Center destruction were provided by the experienced eyes and mind of Spike Lee. They added realism and intensity to the story. He told a tale of a desperate New Yorker who had just 24 hours to clean up the mess he created and reconcile the grim future that lie ahead. A fine movie on all fronts. One that can be watched and appreciated again and again.

I loved every moment of this film. Spike and Edward Norton's are masters of their crafts. It is rare a film that captures so much of NYC in one film. Many perspectives all at once. Spike is clearly not just an important African American voice - he has grown to be clearly an important American voice. Possibly our most important. I was sure their must have been something wrong with this film when Oscar didn't shine on it (I hadn't seen it to that point). How this film was missed I will never understand. The performances of all where nuanced and heart felt. The camera direction was classic. None of the wasted moves of the modern "Music Video" driven director. Every shot meant something (can't remember many films the last couple of years I can say that about). The score was also a surprise. I expected a street cred kind of theme and instead it rang of Taxi Driver and the classics. Long live Spike.

25th Hour. not one of spike lee's commerical creations, more of an independent vision. I went to see this film at my local cinema and was quite annoyed at seeing there was me and one other lost soul watching the film, straight away i felt negative but this negativity seem to drift when the film started. norton's screen presence is unreal. he plays montey brogan an ex drug dealer trying to escape a past he is constantly reminded of and will soon be his downfall. the narrative follows monty on his last 25 hours as a free man before he is imprisoned for 7 years.

The obvious reoccurring theme of 9/11 is more like a reminder trying to establish this cultural shift America was going through at the time. the characters only once discuss the event but it's somethings that seems to be stained on their minds even if its not verbally established. However with an amazing cast and with each individual giving a strong performance the film highlights aspects of regret and remorse to give an ongoing message that is enclosed until the end. differing from spike lee's emphasis on ethnic problems this distant's itself from conventional cinema and leaves you to think obsessively about the narrative's strange but intellectual ending.

i would recommend this film to film goers who are looking for something different in their cinematic viewings. a film that will create and provoke your thoughts and leave you confused and sad that the story ends there.

I'm not really sure how this got by me. I love Ed Norton, I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, I love Barry Pepper and I love New York. For whatever the reason, I just missed it. Well, I'm really glad I finally got a chance to see it. It's easily one of the better films I've seen in a while. I'm not a huge Spike Lee fan, but I loved Do the Right Thing and The Inside Man. I'm not sure if there is any other director whose love for his city is more apparent in their films than Spike Lee. He really does love New York and that love shines through in almost every frame of 25th Hour.

That being said, Lee uses the New York backdrop in a very subtle way. The film never turns into a love letter to NYC. Lee is also very classy with the way he deals with the aftermath of 9/11. The 25th Hour includes some solid acting performances from some of today's greatest actors including Ed Norton who plays Monty Brogan, a drug dealer who is about to go to prison. The film follows Monty around town on the night before he goes to jail. He's accompanied by his friends played by Pepper and Hoffman.

The film is very much about making choices and how one bad decision can change your life forever. Monty has clearly made some bad choices that have landed him in the situation he is in. At the same time, Hoffman is battling with his feelings for his underage student. He's struggling with urges that he's not sure he can suppress. Making the wrong choice could land him in jail like his friend.

The 25th Hour is very much a character study. The plot isn't overly complex and the story doesn't progress like your typical Hollywood film. All in all, the 25th Hour is a haunting portrayal of a broken man (and city) who is hours away from hitting rock bottom.

CINEMA :Les blessures narcissiques d'une vie par procuration

© DR - 24H AVANT LA NUIT de Spike Lee (2002) p4

Masterpiece of human emotion

25th Hour, A Film With Sway!