25th Hour (2002)

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers (WGA):

David Benioff (novel)
David Benioff (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 January 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

This life was so close to never happening

Plot:

Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan (Norton) reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Dealing | Bar | Teacher | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Edward Norton	...	Monty Brogan
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Jacob Elinsky
Barry Pepper	...	Frank Slaughtery
Rosario Dawson	...	Naturelle Riviera
Anna Paquin	...	Mary D'Annunzio
Brian Cox	...	James Brogan
Tony Siragusa	...	Kostya Novotny
Levan Uchaneishvili	...	Uncle Nikolai (as Levani)
Tony Devon	...	Agent Allen
Misha Kuznetsov	...	Senka Valghobek
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Agent Flood
Michael Genet	...	Agent Cunningham
Patrice O'Neal	...	Khari
Al Palagonia	...	Salvatore Dominick
Aaron Stanford	...	Marcuse

Also Known As:

The 25th Hour (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some violence.

Runtime:

135 min | Turkey:108 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

25th Hour Productions

Trivia:

During Monty's interrogation one of the detectives talks about Naturelle and says "Girl saw a pot of honey and licked it clean", meaning she's taking advantage of him. Previously, in the scene where Monty and Naturelle talk on the couch before taking a bath, she's eating honey out of a pot which Monty opens for her.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene with Nikolai, you hear Nikolai rack the slide, but the hammer is not back in the next shot. The camera then looks away (at Monty) and then back at Nikolai, and you can clearly see the slide is locked back and the gun is out of battery.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Monty Brogan: Look at this. He's alive.
Kostya Novotny: This dog, how you call it? Bull Pit?
Monty Brogan: No, Pit-Bull. But that's not a Pit-Bull. I don't know, I don't know what he is. I bet he lost somebody some money though. Give me your gun.
Kostya Novotny: Shooting him?
Monty Brogan: Yeah.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in She Hate Me (2004)

Soundtrack:

White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)

Masterpiece of human emotion

'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.