Angry. Vital. Reactionary. Honest. Masterpiece. Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, from a brilliant screenplay by David Benioff, is easily one of his best films, and unquestionably my personal favorite joint from this quintessential NYC filmmaker. Released in the shadows of 9/11, this searing drama features one of the greatest performances from Ed Norton in his entire career (which says a lot in my estimation), and incredible supporting turns from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, and Anna Paquin. One of the first films to directly confront the horrors of 9/11 both visually and thematically, Lee and Benioff crafted a ferocious film that rests on its riveting narrative and sexy-gritty visual style (the versatile Rodrigo Prieto handled the striking cinematography), with Terence Blanchard’s haunting score filling the background. Brian Cox is late-in-the-game devastating as Norton’s father, who has to contend with the fact that his son is about to head to prison for a major drug charge. The film pivots on Norton’s character getting pinched for dealing, and following him over the course of his last day of freedom, as he settles scores, examines friendships, and comes to terms with his girlfriend (the super sexy Dawson giving a rich and emotionally affecting performance). I can remember seeing this film opening night at the Hollywood Arclight back in 2002, with a totally sold out crowd, and the stunned silence at the end also contained a palpable level of tension that you could cut with a knife. The film gets under your skin, purposefully, picking at the ills of society like a bloody scab; Norton’s “Fuck You” speech in that bathroom mirror is still one of the most sensational bits of cinema that I’ve ever seen. I’d never spoil it out of context, as it’s truly a moment that needs to be experienced organically, but let’s just say that what flows from his mouth is shattering, pointed, and disturbingly true. The film was met with a somewhat muted critical response and it performed decently, for its budget, at the box office – more should have been made of this film at the time of its release. I think that people were too shell shocked to realized what they had been given, and over the years, my hunch is that many people have discovered this gem for what it is – a reflective cinematic mirror from a very specific time and place that tells a universal story against an uncertain backdrop of personal despair. It’s time that this film got the attention that it deserves, as it stands as a blistering piece of contemporary social commentary that feels cut from the open wound of a society struggling to find its footing. Available on Blu-ray. Buy it.
Podcasting Them Softly 