Talking To The Screen
25th Hour : 2002
Tuesday, 1/14/03, 9:30 pm
Broadway and 19th Street
?25th Hour? is the story of Monty Brogan?s last day before heading off to jail. He was a drug dealer. He has a young girlfriend. He has a father and a dead mother. He has had the same two best friends since he was three. One is a stock broker, the other a prep school teacher. This movie is very simple. Don?t expect any twists and turns, this is straight-ahead storytelling.
I?ve been an Ed Norton fan since I first saw ?Primal Fear?. With only a few exceptions, he continued to surprise me in each role he took. Disappointingly, ?25th Hour? was one of these exceptions. Don?t get me wrong, he delivers a dominating performance, but the excitement at watching new talent develop has flagged. This might be the first film where I felt Ed Norton to come off as simply a Movie Star, not as a burgeoning talent. His command of acting flows with ease and grace but the character isn?t as thrilling as previous ones. He?s had three ohmygod performances (?Primal Fear?, ?Fight Club?, ?American History X?). They?ve left ?very good? feeling mediocre.
Spike Lee is a decent director with moments of brilliance. A few of his recent movies (?Summer of Sam?, ?He Got Game?) have been less spotty than his earlier, more acclaimed pictures. He has maintained the method of storytelling that gained him his fame, but his technique and pacing have improved greatly.
?25th Hour? has some shots and one monologue that are really enjoyable. It?s a decent, but simple story, with decent, but simple performances. Ed Norton, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Brian Cox, Spike Lee are all capable of exceptional work. This fact makes ?decent, but simple? very disappointing.
Broadway and 19th Street
?25th Hour? is the story of Monty Brogan?s last day before heading off to jail. He was a drug dealer. He has a young girlfriend. He has a father and a dead mother. He has had the same two best friends since he was three. One is a stock broker, the other a prep school teacher. This movie is very simple. Don?t expect any twists and turns, this is straight-ahead storytelling.
I?ve been an Ed Norton fan since I first saw ?Primal Fear?. With only a few exceptions, he continued to surprise me in each role he took. Disappointingly, ?25th Hour? was one of these exceptions. Don?t get me wrong, he delivers a dominating performance, but the excitement at watching new talent develop has flagged. This might be the first film where I felt Ed Norton to come off as simply a Movie Star, not as a burgeoning talent. His command of acting flows with ease and grace but the character isn?t as thrilling as previous ones. He?s had three ohmygod performances (?Primal Fear?, ?Fight Club?, ?American History X?). They?ve left ?very good? feeling mediocre.
Spike Lee is a decent director with moments of brilliance. A few of his recent movies (?Summer of Sam?, ?He Got Game?) have been less spotty than his earlier, more acclaimed pictures. He has maintained the method of storytelling that gained him his fame, but his technique and pacing have improved greatly.
?25th Hour? has some shots and one monologue that are really enjoyable. It?s a decent, but simple story, with decent, but simple performances. Ed Norton, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Brian Cox, Spike Lee are all capable of exceptional work. This fact makes ?decent, but simple? very disappointing.