I'm not sure how I feel about this movie. I mean, I liked it, I was entertained by it, and it was a very well-made movie, but we're forced to feel sorry for a drug dealer. Here's a guy who sold drugs, made a lotta money doing it, and then when he gets caught, we're supposed to feel sorry for him. See, I'm adamantly anti-drug. I don't do drugs, I've never done drugs, nor will I ever do drugs. That being said, the way I feel is, if you wanna do drugs, that's your business. I think you're a moron if you do it (I'm talking about the real drugs, not marijuana, which should be legalized), but whatever. As for drug dealers, they're low lives, people contributing to one of the biggest problems in this country, a problem that leads to even bigger problems (crime, poverty, etc.). I'm not gonna take pity on a freakin' drug dealer. Of course, this doesn't mean that if there's a drug dealer in a movie, I instantly hate him. Depending on the kinda movie it is, I might like the character, and even want the character to have a happy ending. But "25th Hour" isn't that kinda movie. I have a hard time feeling sorry for the drug dealer character, especially since he doesn't seem to show any remorse for what he did. But despite all that, I still like this movie. What can I say? My principles are often outweighed by how much a movie entertains me.
"25th Hour" takes place in New York City, but it's post-9/11 New York City, and the movie makes it a point to say that. This film is mainly about a guy's last 24 hours before he's sent to jail for seven years, but there seems to be parallels between that story and what happened on September 11th. Or maybe the aftermath? I'm not sure, I'm not smart enough to know, but the post-9/11 images certainly aren't there by accident.
There are a few filmmakers out there who are proud New Yorkers, and it's very obvious in their movies. I'd say that there are three main ones: Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Spike Lee. "25th Hour" is a Spike Lee film (or as he would call it, "A Spike Lee Joint"), and it's another good one. By now, I've seen just about all of Spike Lee's films (I think the only one I haven't seen is "Girl 6"), and I've yet to see a bad one. My favorites include "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X," "Crooklyn," "Bamboozled," and "Get on the Bus," and although I can't say that "25th Hour" is one of my favorites, it's still really good. It's just that the other ones are even better.
Spike Lee is a controversial guy, and I must admit, I disagree with some of his political views, but the guy really is a great filmmaker. Another one like that is Oliver Stone. Great filmmaker, but his political views are very different from mine. And don't get me started on Michael Moore, whose movies I simply refuse to see. It's propaganda bullshit that's the flip side of what would happen if Rush Limbaugh (remember him?) made a movie. But unlike with Spike Lee, I've seen movies from Oliver Stone that I don't like, "Natural Born Killers" being a good example. Like I said, though, I haven't seen "Girl 6" yet, and from what I hear, it's Spike Lee's worst film. I don't think it's available on DVD, but as soon as it is, I'll rent it and find out for myself.
I should mention that "25th Hour" is a movie Spike Lee directed, but didn't write. He usually writes the movies he directs, but in some cases, he doesn't, and "25th Hour" is one of those cases. The screenplay was written by David Benioff (his debut screenplay), which was based on his novel.
I'm not the only one who has respect for Spike Lee as a filmmaker, lots of actors feel the same way. Many will take huge pay cuts to be in one of Spike Lee's movies, even if it's just to make a cameo. Spike Lee, once again, has a really good cast. This time, he has Edward Norton (awesome actor who got everyone to notice him in his debut feature film, "Primal Fear"... he was also in "Fight Club," "Keeping the Faith," and "Red Dragon") in the starring role. Then there's the great Philip Seymour Hoffman (character actor who has been in every single one of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, "Hard Eight," "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," and "Punch-Drunk Love"... he was also in "Red Dragon" with Edward Norton) and Barry Pepper (he was the sniper guy in "Saving Private Ryan"... he was also one of the guards in "The Green Mile"), both of whom play best friends to Edward Norton's character. Rosario Dawson (her debut was in the very controversial film, "Kids"... she was also in "Josie and the Pussycats," "Sidewalks of New York," "Men in Black II," and another Spike Lee film, "He Got Game") plays the girlfriend. Anna Paquin (her feature film debut in "The Piano" won her an Oscar, and she was only 10 years old at the time... she was also "Rogue" in "X-Men") is also in the movie, as is Brian Cox (he's a popular piece of trivia because in 1986, he played "Dr. Hannibal Lecter" in "Manhunter," the first movie to feature the character of "Hannibal Lecter," and the first feature film version of the book, "Red Dragon"... recently he was in "The Ring," "Adaptation," "The Bourne Identity," and "Murder By Numbers"). All of the acting is really good, but the main three guys (Norton, Hoffman, and Pepper) are just incredible.
I gotta chill with the parentheses, don't I? None of you really care to read the filmography for every actor and actress I mention, right?
"25th Hour" is a movie I may have problems with on a moral level, but that aside, it's a movie I enjoyed, and yet another really good movie from Spike Lee. Great flick. Ya dig. Sho nuff.
Scale of 1-10: 8