Whenever the author of a book also writes the screenplay that is then shot and turned into the film, I suppose there will always be the threat of them including a little too much as they adapt their own subject matter and story. Such is the case with 25th Hour; a film that rolls along with scene after scene of dialogue, character relationships, atmosphere (however limp at times), exchanges and other such things that might occur and all clocking in at around about two hours fifteen minutes. Maybe writer David Benioff could've made it a little shorter but I guess he wants us to absorb as bigger picture as possible.
Whatever film of Edward Norton's (old or new) I come across, he always impresses me and he does the best with the material he's given here. His character does not go through any changes and as a drug dealer from the start with a fancy apartment and pretty wife, there is not much we can have for him in terms of empathy. Norton plays Montgomery Brogan, a guy who one day just gets careless as the film's initial incident would show us: someone's been telling the DEA what Montgomery keeps in his sofa seats as padding. And so, this launches a very slow and very precise film adopting a style that is somewhat reminiscent of a fly-on-the-wall approach to film presentation. We don't just see Monty and his friends in a nightclub dancing or getting drunk or whatever else other films would focus on, we actually have them queuing up outside; getting let in the door; finding a seat; sitting down; having them measure how much they drink; have them leave for the toilet and have them talk to one another about issues that do not mean much to the narrative.
But then again, this is an interesting idea. Spike Lee's films are all about relationships, no matter how obscure or taboo to the respective backgrounds in which the characters live (see Jungle Fever, in my opinion his best film so far). I think it's rather a bit symbolic that the most interesting story going on in this film is the parallel narrative involving Jacob Elinsky (Hoffman), a lecturer, and Mary D'Annunzio (Paquin), a much younger student at his place of teaching. This is not surprising as it revolves around a relationship of some sort; a teacher/student relationship and one that threatens to escalate into a loving one. We first see Mary when she's in his class; her red attire draws our eyes immediately and her status as the one we should be focusing on is confirmed when Montgomery himself says so to Jacob upon visiting his class. But then Lee doesn't shoot her as an object of desire and cleverly has her as a smart and independent female best demonstrated when she goes to Jacob's office to complain about grades and the quality of fellow students.
So with this multi-stranded film focusing on Montgomery and his last night of freedom before he goes off to prison, how disappointing and yet interesting to have a secondary story actually better than the primary. The film also dips into Frank Slaughtery's (Pepper) egotistically driven life and world early on but it is scrapped after a while; perhaps mercifully since the film would've been longer. But that's not to say Frank plays an important role; well, he does precipitate in perhaps the film's best scene nearer the end when he has to do 'one last favour' for Norton's character but apart from that, he is a name and a face merely there to be spoken to. The film also has Kostya Novotny (Siragusa) dip in and out of the main strand since he is Monty's Russian friend. The scenes with Kostya are a breath of fresh air in an otherwise serious and depressing film and his scenes are either funny or dramatic; the one in the nightclub being the one that stands out.
But apart from being a little Hannibal Lecter series reunion between Cox (Norton's father), Norton and Hoffman, there isn't much to be had out of 25th Hour. The film's subject matter is one that could be the final hours before a prisoner's execution or the last 'date' you'll spend with an ex-partner before they are married; it's just that Montgomery's story and situation do not make for pleasant viewing nor does the approach at times. There are many exterior shots of the city at night which look beautiful but this is just hiding all the ugliness that is on the inside of the city, the ugliness that Montgomery dedicates a little monologue toward but it's all interesting and rather juxtaposed film-making. I do not think 25th Hour is a bad film but perhaps it is a misdirected one. I think the final act is where a lot of people have been fooled but I was less impressed. I'm sure the DEA's handling of prisoner transport in real life is a little more thorough than portrayed here and if Monty hated New York so much any way, I wonder why he didn't follow through on his ideas sooner rather than wait until when he does in the film. Waiting indeed, until the 25th Hour.
Whatever film of Edward Norton's (old or new) I come across, he always impresses me and he does the best with the material he's given here. His character does not go through any changes and as a drug dealer from the start with a fancy apartment and pretty wife, there is not much we can have for him in terms of empathy. Norton plays Montgomery Brogan, a guy who one day just gets careless as the film's initial incident would show us: someone's been telling the DEA what Montgomery keeps in his sofa seats as padding. And so, this launches a very slow and very precise film adopting a style that is somewhat reminiscent of a fly-on-the-wall approach to film presentation. We don't just see Monty and his friends in a nightclub dancing or getting drunk or whatever else other films would focus on, we actually have them queuing up outside; getting let in the door; finding a seat; sitting down; having them measure how much they drink; have them leave for the toilet and have them talk to one another about issues that do not mean much to the narrative.
But then again, this is an interesting idea. Spike Lee's films are all about relationships, no matter how obscure or taboo to the respective backgrounds in which the characters live (see Jungle Fever, in my opinion his best film so far). I think it's rather a bit symbolic that the most interesting story going on in this film is the parallel narrative involving Jacob Elinsky (Hoffman), a lecturer, and Mary D'Annunzio (Paquin), a much younger student at his place of teaching. This is not surprising as it revolves around a relationship of some sort; a teacher/student relationship and one that threatens to escalate into a loving one. We first see Mary when she's in his class; her red attire draws our eyes immediately and her status as the one we should be focusing on is confirmed when Montgomery himself says so to Jacob upon visiting his class. But then Lee doesn't shoot her as an object of desire and cleverly has her as a smart and independent female best demonstrated when she goes to Jacob's office to complain about grades and the quality of fellow students.
So with this multi-stranded film focusing on Montgomery and his last night of freedom before he goes off to prison, how disappointing and yet interesting to have a secondary story actually better than the primary. The film also dips into Frank Slaughtery's (Pepper) egotistically driven life and world early on but it is scrapped after a while; perhaps mercifully since the film would've been longer. But that's not to say Frank plays an important role; well, he does precipitate in perhaps the film's best scene nearer the end when he has to do 'one last favour' for Norton's character but apart from that, he is a name and a face merely there to be spoken to. The film also has Kostya Novotny (Siragusa) dip in and out of the main strand since he is Monty's Russian friend. The scenes with Kostya are a breath of fresh air in an otherwise serious and depressing film and his scenes are either funny or dramatic; the one in the nightclub being the one that stands out.
But apart from being a little Hannibal Lecter series reunion between Cox (Norton's father), Norton and Hoffman, there isn't much to be had out of 25th Hour. The film's subject matter is one that could be the final hours before a prisoner's execution or the last 'date' you'll spend with an ex-partner before they are married; it's just that Montgomery's story and situation do not make for pleasant viewing nor does the approach at times. There are many exterior shots of the city at night which look beautiful but this is just hiding all the ugliness that is on the inside of the city, the ugliness that Montgomery dedicates a little monologue toward but it's all interesting and rather juxtaposed film-making. I do not think 25th Hour is a bad film but perhaps it is a misdirected one. I think the final act is where a lot of people have been fooled but I was less impressed. I'm sure the DEA's handling of prisoner transport in real life is a little more thorough than portrayed here and if Monty hated New York so much any way, I wonder why he didn't follow through on his ideas sooner rather than wait until when he does in the film. Waiting indeed, until the 25th Hour.