Review of 25th Hour (2002) by Filipeneto — 10 Feb 2019

A dense film, made for thinking.

Monty Brogan's life seemed perfect: a lot of easy money, a beautiful girlfriend, everything perfect ... until the day a complaint hands him over to the authorities for drug trafficking and he is sentenced to seven years in prison. Now you have a few hours to say goodbye to the one you love, and to find out who gave it to you.

I confess I had other expectations about this film, but I found it very interesting how the film addresses the subject of repentance, as the main character, very well interpreted by Edward Norton, reviews his acts and perceives everything that goes lose. There is a lot of revolt in this film, where some nuances and hints related to politics, morals and society are perceived. From this point of view, it is a film that surpasses the entertainment, that can make think. Perhaps the degree of complexity is too high for a movie that tries to be commercial, and there are parts and subplots of the film that I would honestly have eliminated to make the film less dense and lighter for the public less understood.

In addition to Norton, the film features a good cast of actors, all at their best. There's no doubt Spike Lee knows how to direct a heavy cast. Barry Pepper was very good, Rosario Dawson is attractive and elegant without seeming vulgar, Anna Paquin is very young but already reveals some experience and commitment. Even veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman, who seemed far from what he could have done if he was at his best, knew how to give us a satisfactory performance.