Film Review: 25th Hour (2002)

Spike Lee enjoys reputation of best known African American film maker today. It owes it not only to his talent, but also his tendency to speak his mind and express opinions that would get many other film makers in trouble. Many of his films thus became big cinema events thanks to cloud of controversy, but 25th Hour, his 2002 drama, entered history books as first major Hollywood production to deal with 9/11.

The film is based on novel by David Benioff, writer who would later become famous by working on television and becoming co-creator of Game of Thrones. The novel originally didn’t feature 2001 attacks, but Benioff added them as the background for the plot in his screen adaptation. The plot is set in New York City and covers twenty four hours during which Jacob Elinsky (played by Philipp Seymour Hoffman), English teacher in elite private school and his friend, successful Wall Street broker Frank Slaughtery (played by Barry Pepper) will meet their best childhood friend Monty Brogan (played by Edward Norton). Monty, who grew up in blue collar family, lacked their privileged upbringing but, for a time, he made more money than both of them. The way he did is cause of all of his problems. He used to deal drugs for Russian mobster “Uncle” Nikolai (played by Levan Ouchenshvili) before the moment in which DEA agents raided his apartment and found kilogram of cocaine. Monty was arrested and sentenced to seven years of prison, being left with twenty four hours of freedom before having to start his sentence. He tries to spend that precious time by hanging out with friends, settling his business with “Uncle”, trying to find new home for his dog and discover whether his girlfriend Naturelle (played by Rosario Dawson) betrayed him to authorities. He also re-evaluates relationship with his father James (played by Brian Cox) while, like the rest of New Yorkers, trying to come to terms with new realities under the shadow of ruined WTC towers.

25th Hour isn’t the first time Spike Lee has used historical (and traumatic) events from New York history as background for fictional story that explores social realities of the city. Three years earlier he has used David Berkovitz murderous campaign to depict 1970s New York in Summer of Sam. The mix of history and fiction here, as in that film, isn’t the most adequate. In Summer of Sam, however, the real serial killer was more interesting than fictious character, while here tragedy of 9/11, still fresh in memory and not properly comprehended, serves as background for much more banal and generic story of the protagonist. This impression can’t be avoided despite Lee’s baroque style of directing and Terence Blanchard’s music score that tries hard to make 25th Hour sound epic. The film, however, easily gets audience’s attention attention thanks to excellent cast that involves Norton, Hoffman, Cox and Anna Paquin in the role of one of Elinsky’s pupils. Barry Pepper, young actor who played mostly character roles and had misfortune to star in career-wrecking Battlefield Earth, is also good in what is probably the most complex and multi-dimensional role of his career. Tony Siragusa, former professional football player, is also surprisingly good in the role of Nikolai’s associate Kostya. Unfortunately, too much subplots are not that well connected with the main story and the ending, despite being stylistically impressive, appears to come by some other film by mistake. Despite such flaws, 25th Hour should be recommended as solid piece of cinema that also gives insight in one very sensitive moment of recent US and world history.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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