25th Hour
Since the debut of his second film, Do The Right Thing, in 1989, Spike Lee films have been love-them-or-loathe-them prospects. More often than not, I have always found something to like about Mr. Lee’s films, even when they are complete messes. To some, Lee’s latest film, 25th Hour, is a meandering mess with no script or plot development and a blasphemous use of 9-11 imagery. To others, especially those who have read David Benioff’s book upon which the film is based, it is one of the best films released in 2002.
The story hangs upon Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a drug dealer pinched by the DEA who faces a seven-year stretch in Otisville under the state’s strict Rockefeller Drug Laws, and his decision to spend his last 24 hours of freedom with the people he loves. It is a small circle that includes two of his childhood friends, arrogant stockbroker Frank Slaughtery (Barry Pepper) and reserved schoolteacher Jakob Elinsky (Philip Seymour Hoffman), his girlfriend Naturelle Rivera (Rosario Dawson) and his dad (Brian Cox). The story is rather episodic in nature, so the forward momentum of the film is governed not by character development and plot twists, but by the events of the evening and how they affect the characters. Over the course of the film, each of the characters will test the strength of their relationship to each other in surprising and shocking ways.
For a film about running out of time, the film is in no hurry to resolve itself. Running over two hours, this could be seen by some as tedious, but I contend it has more to do with being true to Monty’s character than self-indulgence on the part of the filmmakers. Most of Monty’s day involves a review of the events in his life that have led him up to this moment, a moment he quite possibly doesn’t want to end. And while he is always the first to admit he’s going away for seven years, his decision to celebrate with the people closest to him is a way for him to avoid the inventible: His time will run out, and he will have to face the consequences of his actions. In this way, the film’s reluctance to neatly wrap things up in an hour and a half mirrors Monty’s struggle to stop time.
Then there are the 9-11 references with which to deal. Are they gratuitous? Do they detract from the story? Are they necessary? The answer to all three questions is probably not. Mr. Benioff’s novel was published before 9-11, so there are no references to it in the book. The World Trade Center collapse took place as the film was about to start production, so it was important to the filmmakers to make a statement about 9-11 in the film. As a suburbanite, my view of 9-11 is peripheral, but I would venture to guess that for people living in New York City, the subject has long and far reaching effects. Conversations between New Yorkers probably have some reference to 9-11, not unlike the conversation between Jakob and Frank about the air quality downtown as they sit in the window of Frank’s high-rise apartment overlooking Ground Zero. It’s not integral to the plot of the film, but it does something to establish the environment in which the characters exist.
In reading criticism about the film, I came across a theory about the 9-11 references that I thought was very interesting. The person writing the text argued that the inclusion of the 9-11 material was important because it was a way to mirror the Monty’s dilemma. The writer argued that just as the people of New York are dealing with the consequences and repercussions from the life changing events of September 11th, so Monty deals with the consequences and repercussions from the life-changing events of his life as a dealer. In this way, Monty’s internal struggle mirrors the struggle of all New Yorkers post September 11th, a reason why the inclusion of the 9-11 references are so important to fleshing out the story. It’s an interesting interpretation, and one I was not conscious of while watching the film. And while I do tend to agree that allusions to September 11th help shape the film’s characters by establishing the milieu in which they exist, it is ultimately up to the individual viewer to decide.
Another argument that has been made is that none of the characters change or exhibit any depth. I would argue that the character issue is not a shortcoming of the filmmakers, but quite possibly an attempt as realism. The only person who should change is Monty since he is the one who is losing his freedom. The other characters wouldn’t necessarily change their lives in 24 hours because they are only viewing the situation from the outside. Monty’s arrest affects them, but only as an observation. Other than Monty’s absence from their lives, very little will change for them. They will continue to live their lives in much the same way as before, mirroring former Mayor Guiliani’s post 9-11 plea for New Yorkers to not let the terrorist attacks effect their day-to-day lives.
All that being said, I think this is one of Mr. Lee’s best films in a long while. He gets compelling work from all of his actors, the majority of them working in tricky roles. Mr. Norton, playing a similar role to his turn in American History X, seems to be able to do this type of role perfectly in his sleep. Both Lee and Norton are careful to not make Monty a completely likeable protagonist, pointing out at various times how his choice of career has affected his customers and the people around him. I especially hope that Anna Paquin in particular enjoys a long and prosperous career in acting, because she’s simply quite brilliant. Replacing Brittany Murphy, who reportedly got a bad case of cold feet about playing a teenage Lolita, dropping out just before shooting commenced, Paquin is a complete surprise as Mary D’Annunzio, one of Jakob’s many pupils, but the sole object of his fantasies. Paquin brings an unexpected intelligence and sexiness to the role. She is simply brilliant.
The one thing above all others that you have to respect about Lee is the passion that he exhibits in his films. His enthusiasm and fervor for the medium that run through Do the Right Thing, Bamboozled, and Clockers are fully on display in 25th Hour. From the city skylines on display in the opening credits to the orchestral swells that punctuate the film to the complicated crane shots that take you in and out of the characters worlds and into the New York skyline to the use of colors to set the mood, Mr. Lee has a style of filmmaking no director of his generation has been able to match. There are elements of style on display here that let you know the film you are watching could only be “a Spike Lee Joint.” Even if the results are not perfect, as in Girl 6 or Summer of Sam, they are like nothing else in American cinema today. And yet he is one of the most underappreciated directors in film today. Sadly, if the buzz surrounding 25th Hour is to be believed, it is a slight that will continue with no end in sight.
Submitted 26 January 03. Posted 20 February 03.
