Spike Lee Retrospective: "25th Hour" - Spike Lee's Post-9/11 New York Masterpiece
Based on the David Benioff novel, Lee reimagines 25th Hour as a slightly different world from the novel. It's an angry New York - a scared city on the verge of entering the War on Terror. A defining film from 2002 25th Hour captures both the mood of the city and the feeling of the country at the time.
I first saw 25th Hour a couple of years ago, but on a recent rewatch, I was blown away by the performances and direction. There isn't a weak showing from anyone in the cast. Shot in June 2002, the actors’ paranoia is noticeable, and I'm sure pulling from real life anxiety wasn't a stretch. We're just 9 months removed from 9/11. It's the first major film to address the tragedy, Especially in its captivating opening credits.
The film follows Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a charming drug dealer who gets busted and has 24 hours before he heads to prison for 7 years. He chooses to spend his last night of freedom with his closest friends played by Barry Pepper and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson). Brogan's father portrayed by Brian Cox, is a widower and loves his son dearly. They all circle Brogan throughout the film in different ways as his confidant, all offering advice and comfort in their own way.
At it's core, 25th Hour is really about the precious nature of time. Barry Pepper's character is a stockbroker, all about immediate gratification. He's a transactional human being. He talks about lust and has an overinflated sense of self. But to him, time is about how fast he can find satisfaction. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character is a high school teacher infatuated with his 17 year old student played by Anna Paquin. He feels shame in his attraction and in a club scene with Paquin, goes for a kiss because of perceived flirtation. He's rejected as Paquin is just seeking a higher grade in the class and nothing more. Seymour Hoffman's character is a sad sap; he's lonely and probably self-loathing. Brian Cox's character lost his wife, and is trying to hold things together as a bar owner. His narration at the end of the film is heartbreaking as he narrates how his son's life would have went if not for his incarceration. Rosario Dawson is youthful and caring - she loves Monty, but ultimately we get the sense that she will move on with her life and find peace. And then we get to Monty, who is a flawed human. He loves the people in his life, but he loves his status more. He went to private school but couldn't help acting out and starting his drug dealing there. He's philosophica as well.
The ‘Fuck You’ monologue is one of the best ever put to film. Disney wanted it cut from the film but Lee insisted on keeping it. Brogan's mirror image puts everyone in New York on blast. It's racist, hateful, and angry. He condemns every racial group, financial institution, politician, and neighborhood. But at the end of the speech, he can only blame himself. His lot in life and where he's landed himself can only literally look himself in the mirror. As horrible as the monologue is with its racial epithets, the hatred manifests in perhaps self-hatred.
25th Hour is possibly a flawless movie in the sense of it's gritty reflection of the city at the time. New York could be a beautiful place and united at the time. Brogan's friends were all there for him on his last night. His father's love for him was unconditional. New York could also be ugly. It's racism directed toward Muslims or anyone resembling a Muslim at that time was inexcusable. People booed Richard Gere and others when they called for compassion after the terrorist attacks. It's brave to ask for compassion rather than retribution after an event that kills thousands of innocent people. This is Monty. He's hateful in his mirror speech and wants to throw others under the bus.
25th Hour is one of Spike Lee's most moving films. It's thematically complex and still holds up 23 years later. It's writing is tight and original. It's totally relevant even to today. It's a stone cold classic and one of the best films of the last 25 years. I also have to mention it's beautifully shot by now famous DP Rodrigo Prieto (Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon). He uses Spike's signature double dolly a couple of times and all at perfect times.
Spike Lee is one of my four favorite directors and the reason for that is because after 40 years of filmmaking, he's still a true artist. Whether it be his writing or truly student film derived filmmaking techniques, there is only one Spike. He's still going to do his movies his way and there can be no compromise. Whether he's adapting a novel, remaking a film classic, or doing his own thing, he's the definition of an auteur. 25th Hour, if you haven't seen it, deserves your time. Put the distractions away and appreciate a moment in time that the film represents.