The 25th Hour (DVD)

...25th Hour is in fact the first ever Spike Lee Directed movie I've ever seen, and as I walked out of the Cinema all those months ago (I saw it back in May) I hung my head in shame at that fact, as I?d just seen what can only be classed as a top quality piece of cinematography.

** The Story **

Based on a novel by David Benioff of the same name, The 25th Hour follows the story of Montgomery Brogan (played excellently ...
...is now facing up to the prospect of serving a 7-year jail-term for his crimes, and now Brogan is re-evaluating everything he's done in his life in the last 24 hours before he starts his case.

What follows is a gritty hard-hitting story of a broken man, of someone who realises that the perfect life he thought he had was all eventually going to come crashing around his ears, and that ultimately a life of crime won't pay. Then you add ... more

Shocking as it is for yours truly being as in to movies as he is - I've hardly ever seen any movies that were directed or produced by Spike Lee, in fact I'll go as far as saying that 25th Hour is in fact the first ever Spike Lee Directed movie I've ever seen, and as I walked out of the Cinema all those months ago (I saw it back in May) I hung my head in shame at that fact, as I?d just seen what can only be classed as a top quality piece of cinematography.

** The Story **

Based on a novel by David Benioff of the same name, The 25th Hour follows the story of Montgomery Brogan (played excellently by Edward Norton) who's been cornered by the D.E.A. for drugs-dealing, and is now facing up to the prospect of serving a 7-year jail-term for his crimes, and now Brogan is re-evaluating everything he's done in his life in the last 24 hours before he starts his case.

What follows is a gritty hard-hitting story of a broken man, of someone who realises that the perfect life he thought he had was all eventually going to come crashing around his ears, and that ultimately a life of crime won't pay. Then you add on the raw emotion that is played out in scenes involving Brogan and his friends as they realise that its going to be a long time before they see each other and it really is a movie that makes you sit back and think, but enough of that - on with the review.

** The Cast **

Montgomery Brogan (Played by Edward Norton): I don't think I?ve yet seen a movie involving Ed Norton that I haven't absolutely adored - he has this presence on-screen that is un-matched, and be it a mild-mannered insomniac claims assessor or a desperate drug dealer spending his last 24 hours in freedom, he never turns in a bad performance.

The character of Brogan to be honest is one that must have been made for him, always just a little bit mysterious, but at the same time always having a caring side as well, and the script he's been given is an absolute blinder, and one that only Norton could deliver in a believable way.

What I'm trying to say is that everything Norton does on screen is pure class, there's never a time I thought that he shouldn?t have been there, or that perhaps he shouldn't have done something - it was all spot on.

Naturelle Riviera (played by Rosario Dawson): An actress I?ve never seen anything of before but someone who I'd like to see again - her part was just a bit-part, but still - it was a bit-part played well, all the time her character was again showing genuine concern for Brogan (who also happened to be her boyfriend), and never once did it seem wrong.

If this is the style of acting that Dawson is going to put into all her performances then the first thing I have to say is Halle Berry who? As this girl is quite well prepared to take over from her mantle as the best black actress in the business today.

Jacob Elinsky (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman): One of Brogan's 2 friends that he chooses to spend his last day as a free man with, and is also the one providing some of the slight comedy stylings that are at times needed to lighten the mood.

When I first saw him on-screen I thought he was going to just not fit in with the story at all, but after seeing his scenes with Anna Paquin (who played his student) and their little side-story, it was obvious that he was a welcome addition to the film - add in the camaraderie that's being shown between him and Brogan and you have the loyal friend character down to a tee - being played excellently I might add.

Frank Slaughtery (played by Barry Pepper): The big hot-shot City Trader character that again I thought might just not fit in with the whole essence of the movie and all the way through he is a bit of a dark horse - but that's not to say that his performance is bad though!

All through he seems to be the one that keeps the group calm, the dry voice when everyone else is losing their heads and always showing his friendship with Brogan as well, whilst still showing that he has a cut-throat will in the way of his work - and although occasionally he teeters on the edge of being a stereotypical Hollywood stock-broker he always seems to come back and puts in a great performance.

Mary D'Annunzio (played by Anna Paquin): Don't ask me why (because I don't know) but I've always had a thing for Anna Paquin - but that doesn't seem to matter with this role as she plays the student teen seductress of her tutor Elinsky, helping to provide a good side-story to the main plot.

Throughout the movie she does seem to give out an air of youthful exuberance and is always bouncing around the screen much as you would expect a teenager to do, but its actually a very grown-up performance that she puts in and her reaction after Elinsky makes his move is one of the best I've seen on the big screen in a while.

** Location **

Showing the dark dirty streets of the US and then moving to one of the many expensive night-clubs the movie does well to diversify the scenery that the audience sees, and the set-builders have done well in their attempts to show viewers that every American city is like this, and their hard work has paid off as well.

** Soundtrack and Ending **

The Soundtrack is one that was scored by Terence Blanchard and it adds a great edge to the movie being one that's always 'there' but never too over-bearing and always just audible enough, and it always seems to tie the movie up just right.

With regards to the ending it was just good - it was different to what the audience expected and it served well to make the movie stick in all the viewers minds for weeks (and in my case months) to come.

** Overall **

It's absolutely fantastic, I could leave it at that but I won't - it's got everything a movie needs to have - great direction, acting, soundtrack and location then add
on that it never once lets the crowds mind wander and its well worth anybody shelling out money for - the first chance you get to see this, do so, you won't regret it.  

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