25th Hour (2002)

Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

David Benioff (novel), David Benioff (screenplay)

Stars:

Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Norton	...	Monty Brogan
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Jacob Elinsky
Barry Pepper	...	Frank Slaughtery
Rosario Dawson	...	Naturelle Riviera
Anna Paquin	...	Mary D'Annunzio
Brian Cox	...	James Brogan
Tony Siragusa	...	Kostya Novotny
Levani	...	Uncle Nikolai
Tony Devon	...	Agent Allen
Misha Kuznetsov	...	Senka Valghobek
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Agent Flood
Michael Genet	...	Agent Cunningham
Patrice O'Neal	...	Khari
Al Palagonia	...	Salvatore Dominick
Aaron Stanford	...	Marcuse

Storyline

The 25th Hour depicts the last day of freedom for a young man before he begins serving a seven-year jail term for drug dealing. Prowling through the city until dawn with his two close male friends and his girlfriend, he is forced to re-examine his life and how he got himself into his predicament, which leads to a shocking, disturbing finale.

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Plot Keywords:

drug dealing | dream | bar | nightclub | widower | 

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Taglines:

This life was so close to never happening

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 25th Hour

Filming Locations:

Granger, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$108,865, 22 December 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,060,843, 6 April 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

25th Hour Productions, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Gamut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min 108 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer David Benioff said in a BBC interview, "The first time I saw [Edward Norton] on set he pulled back his hair and showed me his widow's peak. In the book, Monty Brogan has a widow's peak, but I hadn't mentioned it in the script. But Edward so wanted to be in character that he wore a prosthetic widow's peak for the entire shoot."

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Goofs

(at around 57 mins) During Jacob's and Frank's dinner together, the clock in the restaurant keeps shifting between shots, even though it is supposed to be one continuous scene. At one point the clock reads 11:35, and at another it shows about 9:40.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Monty Brogan: Look at this. He's alive.
Kostya Novotny: This dog, how you call it? Bull pit?
Monty Brogan: No, Pit-Bull. But that's not a pit bull. I don't know, I don't know what he is. I bet he lost somebody some money though. Give me your gun.
Kostya Novotny: Shooting him?
Monty Brogan: Yeah.

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Crazy Credits

Special Thanks ... Bruce "Da Boss" Springsteen

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Connections

References Wall Street (1987)

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Soundtracks

White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
Written by Melle Mel (as Melvin Glover) and Sylvia Robinson
Performed by Grand Master & Melle Mel
Courtesy of Rhino Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products and Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group

User Reviews

Masterpiece of human emotion

'I tattooed 'survive' on my hand the night before I went away to prison. And I did. We do what we have to do to survive.'

I don't think I can remember a film that has put me more on an emotive level with the main character as this film has. Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan – he's not the nicest of people by anyone's standards – and certainly no one you should feel sorry for. But having said that, I have never felt so sorry for the bad guy as I did watching this film. We watch the anguish of Monty during his last 24 hours on the 'outside' before he must go to prison for seven years, knowing completely what is in store for him on the 'inside'.

Set in post 9/11 New York City, we are constantly reminded of humanity and the need to bond together and to make the most of the little time we have; as do Monty's friends, including Jacob Elinsky (Hoffman), a confused and self-tortured school teacher who has strong feelings for one of the students in his class, Mary (Paquin – of X-Men and The Piano fame). Although not about to die, Monty's world is about to turn severely bad, and there's nothing he can do about it. Norton's performance made me feel nervous and quite scared on his behalf, almost to the point of feeling nauseous. It made me want to forgive him, forget about his crimes and let him go (he seemed sorry for what he did – he was no longer a drug dealer – he was trying to make an effort). His performance worked. He had successfully transformed the criminal figure into your best mate and buddy, perhaps even yourself, and you genuinely feel sorry for him.

Director Spike Lee's films usually deal with African-American themes, so it came as a surprise to me to find that this film was something very different – proving that Lee's talent extends across multiple genres and styles.

I highly recommend 25th Hour, not just for the brilliant story, but for the emphatic feelings the film imparts on the viewer.