| The
Review: |
People who venture into the hazy
world of Spike Lee's "25th Hour" will undoubted recognize
certain parallels between Edward Norton's character, a former
drug dealer with issues of conscience, and his previous role
from 1998's "American History X," in which he played a white
supremacist who questions his morals after a series of life-changing
events. Both characters ultimately face the choice of taking
one road over another, of making the same mistakes again,
or choosing a more stable, solid path to a better way of life.
Both of these men are morally flawed and self-righteous, and
undergo a sudden change that draws us into their lives, their
dilemnas, their emotions, and their innermost thoughts. ***
Once again, Norton gives a blistering,
elegantly-crafted performance as Montgomery 'Monty' Brogan,
an Irish-American New Yorker who at the age of 31 finds himself
facing a most dreadful and dangerous prospect. Having been
sentenced to seven years in prison for drug dealing, he is
left with a window of one day before losing his freedom, his
girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), and his life as a whole.
***
Through a series of instances and
occurences between multiple characters, we find out there
is more to the story than meets the eye. A conversation between
Monty and his father, James (Brian Cox), reveals Monty's suspicion
that it may have been Naturelle who informed the authorities
as to the whereabouts of his stash. We also learn that he
has been in trouble before, as a child in prep school who
was later kicked out of his prep school and put on probation
for dealing to fellow students. Monty's two best friends-
Francis (Barry Pepper), a successful and brash bond trader,
and Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an English teacher- each
have their own opinion about their mutual acquaintance, with
Jacob looking past Monty's tainted past, and Francis silently
condemning him for it. ***
During a series of character interactions
at a night club party for Monty thrown by his fellow "boss,"
motivations are proposed, blame is placed, and new ground
is broken as each one of these people confronts their part
in the eventual collapse of Monty's life. In a heated discussion
with Francis, Naturelle confronts the notion that she unwittingly
aided his demise by moving in with him and sharing his wealth.
Francis, on the other hand, blames himself for remaining silent,
and not sharing his feelings with Monty about his perilous
business. ***
The manner in which these revelations
and moments of realization are played out is striking for
a number of reasons, a solid cast being one of them. In addition
to the central Norton performance, there are a number of individual
stand-outs from the supporting cast, most notably Rosario
Dawson, whose introspective glances come across like a thunderbolt
from the screen. Barry Pepper's acting is nothing short of
amazing, as his character's boisterious facade eventually
fades into a complex display of emotional instability towards
the film's one of many understated climaxes. Philip Seymour
Hoffman, although inhabiting a somewhat underdeveloped character,
manages to draw us in without fail, while Anna Paquin makes
a nice impression as a semi-Goth teenager whose confusion
about the world around her is as plain as the nose on her
face. ***
As the film's director, Spike Lee
captures these events with a visual pinache that is appealing
and well-structured in all the right ways. He pushes all the
necessary buttons with his gritty, washed-out approach to
the film's look, and is unafraid of the camera's intimacy
with his actors, as is evident in his extreme close-ups. His
assured sense of the narrative of the David Benioff screenplay
guides us through a series of complex and detailed moments,
some of which have resolutions, others of which are left wide
open, and need no cap-off. The film's very final sequence,
which relates to us a possible what-if scenario, comes across
as the ultimate morality test for Monty, who has a choice
of running from his penance, or facing the music and starting
all over in the wake of his misdeeds. This scene has a very
distinct pull about it: we have come to hope for Monty's ascension
into a more righteous state of being, thus making the final
questions highly potent: What will he do? What choice will
he make? Has he fully learned from his experiences, or will
he give up the chance to redeem himself once and for all?
***
Like it's main character, however,
"25th Hour" is not without flaws. In addition to mourning
the loss of Monty's way of life, the film makes several misplaced
eulogistic references to the September 11th tragedy, those
which seem forced, contrived, and miscalculated. Certain character
examinations are left without much connection to the overall
structure of the plot, like that of crossed boundaries between
student and teacher as seen in a kiss between Hoffman and
Paquin's characters. These and several other moments detract
from what could otherwise be a masterpiece, but in terms of
its blunt objectivity and the immense power of its individual
scenes, "25th Hour" remains an experience that audiences must
ultimately undergo for themselves.
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| Image
and Sound |
The unique
visual style of "25th Hour" comes across quite nicely on DVD.
A washed-out appearance makes for moments of rather drab colors
and a truckload of gritty images that fit nicely into the
overall structure of the movie. The image, measured at 2.35:1,
is a solid effort to capture all of this accurately, and for
the most part, it succeeds. Color saturation looks just fine,
with fidelity becoming an issue of intent given the movie's
distinct appearance. Contrast is very good with solid blacks
and nice shadow detail, although some artifacting is noticeable
in places. Edges are sharp but hampered bu visible enhancement
halos, and small object detail, although good, isn't striking.
Overall, it's not without its share of minor blemishes, but
this is still a pretty good transfer. ***
The audio
is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and makes good use of the
soundfield with an impressive score recording and scenes that
come alive through sound. Terence Blanchard's music is terrific
here, very ambient and flowing, while a scene that takes place
in the nightclub makes an interesting use of the surrounds
with some inventive warbles from the DJ. Dialogue sounds natural
throughout, and atmospheric noises are nicely balanced throughout
the soundfield. Deep bass remains minimal in the quieter moments.
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