25th Hour (2002)

Eh, I watched it too. Honestly, I almost fell asleep—soooo boring. 🙂

Sandra Palmer10 said:I just can't wrap my head around this one scene—it feels like nothing more than pure hate speech.
Personally, I think it's unnecessary and just tacky. I doubt there's any actual depth or artistry behind it; it was probably just thrown in halfway through so the audience wouldn't pass out from boredom.🙂 😕

That scene you're talking about? That's easily the best part of the movie!👍 It isn't fueling hate; if anything, it’s a total middle finger to all that cheesy post-9/11 "We Americans" sentimentality.🙂
The rest of it is a snooze fest. Honestly, even for Spike Lee, Edward Norton, and the crew, it’s pretty mediocre.👎 😢

That whole racist outburst was just totally uncalled for, and honestly, I don't even get the point. If Spike Lee really wanted to vent about 9/11, he should've just made a specific movie about it or maybe a documentary...

I think this movie is just fantastic.
I’m a sucker for films exactly like 25th Hour. That slow burn pace... those incredibly well-written and acted characters... the dialogue is so sharp and witty. And New York City? It's such a brilliant setting, one of my absolute favorites (and clearly Spike Lee's too). Honestly, I feel like the Spike Lee we've seen in recent years is actually better than that hyper-political version who only makes movies exclusively about Black actors and Black issues.
I was totally blown away by Summer of Sam, and now 25th Hour does the same for me. I mean, Do the Right Thing and He Got Game were really great too, though I found Girl 6 and Crooklyn to be kind of weak...
But you can still see his political edge hasn't completely dulled—that dialogue in front of the bar mirror, the conversations about bin Laden, that scene near the ruins of the World Trade Center... but none of that bothers me here. Not at all. In this case, it feels woven into the story so naturally, it's just intelligent filmmaking.
All in all, 25th Hour is just an excellent film.

Even if those American flags in the movie are super annoying
I'm just sitting here trying to imagine what this flick would’ve looked like if someone like Fincher had directed it instead.

I see everyone losing their minds over that restaurant bathroom scene. Look, the scene works, but let’s be honest—it’s basically a beat-for-beat remake of Spike Lee’s masterpiece, "Do the Right Thing," from 1989.

Actually, the whole of "25th Hour" is essentially just a visual remix of his previous work: specifically "Do the Right Thing," "Clockers," and "Summer of Sam"—only this time, it's layered over the aftermath of 9/11, which adds a certain dimension to it, I suppose.

That said, I wouldn't say I agree with it entirely—not without noting the sheer sentimentality. It feels like they’re aggressively shoving the characters' backgrounds down our throats; they’re all Americans, yet the film constantly insists on reminding us that the English professor is a Jew, Monty (Norton) is Irish, his girlfriend is Puerto Rican, the girl he's obsessed with is Italian, and his business partner is Ukrainian. It's meant to illustrate the "melting pot" ideal of the US, I guess, even though those specific details don't actually add much to the core narrative.

Still, the best part—and the one thing that ultimately makes the movie worth watching—is the implicit comparison between Monty and America. It's almost as if... well, both are fundamentally good people (whatever that means), but they've both done enough bad things in their pasts that they're finally being forced to pay the price. For him, it's prison; for America, it's 9/11.

Both react violently to this new reality—turning to friends and family, searching for someone to blame, lashing out at everything in sight, and preparing some kind of vengeance by shouting "fuck you" at anyone who crosses their path. But Monty delivers the ultimate "fuck you"—first to the mirror, then through his actions—to himself, finally acknowledging his own guilt. And America...

Good grief, once they started bringing out those flags......
Man, if only Thompson were a true American.......
But, I really shouldn't go on like this:
Edward Norton is absolute perfection
Spike Lee is a legend
+fuck the scenes where
the female lead is unnervingly gorgeous
this movie actually makes me want to watch films again

If my math isn't totally off, this is actually the third thread I've seen for this same movie...🎉

I found the film to be quite solid. The narrative isn't some hollow, superficial exercise; on the contrary, it's deeply engaging, and I believe the direction was handled effectively given the weight of the subject matter. I wouldn't say I was disappointed, though I can't claim it left an indelible mark on my soul... 😕 a-a👋

Really solid. I guess if it were just a little shorter, it would've been even better..

Absolutely incredible movie. I see it’s sitting at a 7.9 on IMDb, but honestly? In my book, this is a solid 10 out of 10.

Look, I won't spoil anything.



Just a heavy, powerful piece of cinema. It’s directed by Spike Lee and based on a novel by David Benioff. The cast is stacked, too—you've got Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox, and Anna Paquin.

Norton plays Montgomery Burns, a convicted dealer facing his final day of freedom before he heads off to serve a seven-year stretch. The plot is controversial, sure, but the storytelling is top-tier. Highly recommend.

Without giving away the ending—even though I could talk about that final scene, which hits even harder and would probably leave anyone in tears—I want to share this monologue. It isn't directly from the film, but it perfectly captures Monty's internal struggle, that fight against his own "demons."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ponWum-8JRc

Anyway, go watch it and let me know what you think in the thread.

Solid movie.

I really dug that scene with the girl on the swing...

Aside from the ones you already mentioned, I’ve always thought that scene where the cop finds his stash tucked away in the couch was absolute gold; shiiiiit

A lot of people probably won't agree with me on this one, but in my book, this is easily Spike Lee's absolute best work. Honestly, even more than the actual plot, it’s that thick, palpable atmosphere and the sense of melancholy—you could practically cut it with a knife—that really makes it. It's all about what's happening between the lines.
The cast is just phenomenal—we're talking about some of the defining actors of their generation here (Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman), plus Barry Pepper delivers what is arguably his best performance ever. Even Rosario Dawson and Anna Paquin feel like essential parts of the story rather than just there for show, and Brian Cox proves he can be absolutely brilliant in roles that aren't villains (since he seems to play the bad guys most of the time lately).
Truly one of the standout films released since the turn of the millennium!

Maybe it's his best work... but let's be real, it's still a Hollywood movie, so it follows all those tired tropes you see everywhere. It’s pretty straightforward, too—nothing really challenges you. And the ending? Way too predictable. There aren't any big twists to keep you on your toes.

The Italian Job - zero out of ten.

This movie is, just like I said back in 2008, 😁 absolutely incredible. Personally, it’s one of my all-time favorites. 😁

Spoiler alert:

But I’m actually debating this with Drita right now—is it two different endings, or did Monty actually end up in jail?

For those of you who haven't watched it in a while:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8elKC-DLS8

After that "fantasy" sequence where his father walks him through "what could have been," the fantasy ends with the line: "and then you gather your whole family up and tell them 'you all came so close to never happening'." Then we cut back to the car, Monty is totally out of it, slumped against the glass, and if you ask me: they're heading to jail, not making a getaway.

Now, I saw some guy on YouTube claiming that Spike Lee basically confirms this through his commentary on the film. IMDb says this:

And as the "almost didn't happen" is said in the voiceover, we cut back to the car and see that they're still driving up the turnpike towards the jail, as Monty doses in a stupor.

It’s the same story everywhere.

But there's still room for doubt. What do you guys think? Did he go to jail or not?


Honestly, this is just me nitpicking for the sake of it. Whether it's true or not, for me personally, this is a masterpiece. The atmosphere is killer, and that soundtrack—that main theme has been stuck in my head for years. I literally dream about it. 😁

Everything about it is top-tier.

Spoiler alert.

I’m convinced there are actually two different endings. I mean, seriously, give me a break—that line "it all came so close to never happening," followed by them driving off without showing us their destination? It's clearly meant to be ambiguous. After that moment, they could have headed out West toward the desert and all that chaos from the story, or they could have just kept driving straight to prison. I honestly think the director leaves it up to the audience to decide.

Do you see what I'm saying?

Maybe you’re actually right there. Look, I don't want to be stubborn about this. 😁

Even though

for years, I was dead certain he was going to prison. Honestly, it's because at no point did he ever back up his father's words or even show interest in the idea. Instead, he just lay there beaten on the glass while his old man gave him that "glimpse of what could have been." To me, that line that hits you so hard still feels like part of a fantasy before they all just pile back into the car... whereas the reality, just like he said, is that he's headed to jail. Now, I haven't sat down to watch the movie in quite a while, so I can't say for sure if my memory is spot on, but I think the father had already asked if running away was an option, and Monty explained why it wasn't. It was either the dad or someone else, but I'm pretty sure Monty laid it out during the film—he elaborated on why he's going. I'll have to rewatch it.

I suppose we can't truly know unless we stumble upon that infamous ghost comment from spike lee.

😬