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25th Hour
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25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin. Norton plays Montgomery "Monty" Brogan, a convicted drug dealer who has one last day of freedom before beginning a seven-year prison sentence.
Plot
The film begins with Monty Brogan and Kostya saving a dog that he found abandoned in the street. As he drives away, the opening credits roll over shots of the Tribute in Light at the World Trade Center site.
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Encyclopedia
25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin. Norton plays Montgomery "Monty" Brogan, a convicted drug dealer who has one last day of freedom before beginning a seven-year prison sentence.
Plot
The film begins with Monty Brogan and Kostya saving a dog that he found abandoned in the street. As he drives away, the opening credits roll over shots of the Tribute in Light at the World Trade Center site. The film then cuts to the present (approximately 4 years have passed) and Brogan is walking the streets of New York with Doyle (the dog he saved). He goes to his old school where he meets up with his teacher friend Jacob Elinsky (Hoffman) and discusses a get-together at a local club planned later that evening. Elinksy then calls Frank Slaughtery (Pepper) who is working as a Wall Street trader.
Brogan then goes home to his girlfriend Naturelle (Dawson) and they discuss the fact that this is his last night before prison. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that Brogan has been busted for being a drug dealer, and he is looking at 7 years in Otisville prison.
Brogan visits his father James (Cox) at his Irish Pub in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and his father blames himself for Monty getting into the position he's in. Monty goes to the bathroom and sees profanity written on a mirror; this prompts a hateful rant that ends with Monty realizing that the one he's really the most angry with is himself. Brogan and his father then discuss whether it was Naturelle who tipped off the police about him.
Jacob goes to Frank's Apartment and as they both look over Ground Zero, they both talk about Monty going to prison. Jacob can't believe it's happening but Frank claims that he deserves it because he's become rich through the misery of other people. He then says that after tonight, they'll never see him again. Jacob and Frank go to a Chinese restaurant and they both confront each other about how they don't live in reality. Frank spends his working hours figuring out how to defraud foreign governments and then when he gets out of his office he doesn't know how to behave. Jacob is ashamed of his wealth and goes around unhappy all the time because he was born rich. They both meet Brogan and Naturelle at a bar before going to the club.
At the club, Jacob runs into one of his students, Mary (Paquin) who we see before complaining to Jacob about the grade of one of her English papers. She goes with them into the club. Monty asks Jacob if he will take care of Doyle while he's in prison and Jacob accepts. Monty and Frank discuss how he got to this position and what will happen to him in prison, and Frank promises him that when he gets out he'll be there and they'll open a bar together. Frank and Naturelle also discuss how Monty got to this position, but Frank accuses her of not doing anything because she got used to a fancy life. He then insinuates that it might have been her who tipped off the cops. Monty and his partner Kostya then go to speak to a group of Russian mobsters, run by Uncle Nikolai. Nikolai gives Monty some tips on how to survive in prison. Then it is revealed that it was Kostya who sold Monty out. Monty decides to leave, asserting that he'll never come back.
While all this is happening, Jacob and Mary kiss, but then Jacob decides it is a bad idea and then he leaves.
They all leave the club and Monty, Jacob and Frank go to a park, where Monty gives Doyle to Jacob. Monty then gets Frank to make him look ugly by beating him up, saying that it's all about the first day and if he goes in looking ugly he might have a chance to survive. Frank does it reluctantly, giving Monty a black eye and a lot of cuts and bruises to his face, and then Monty goes home.
James arrives and says that he'll take him to Otisville. While Jacob and Frank are still at the park reflecting on all that has happened, Monty is on his way to prison. On the way he looks out of his window and sees all the people who he ranted against standing along the road smiling at him. He then sees a little boy on a bus and they each write their name on the window.
As they come to the George Washington Bridge, James says that if he wants it, he will make a left turn and they will leave New York. Monty's dad's idea is that they leave New York and drive through the desert until they find a town. They'll have one last drink together and then he will go back to New York. Monty will make a new life for himself. He'll get a job at a bar, and he'll get himself the right papers. He'll never come back to New York, never call and never write. But after a couple of years, he'll send word to Naturelle. She'll come to live with him and they'll have a family. Then many years later, Monty will gather his whole family together and he'll tell them the whole story and who he is and where he comes from. Then he'll ask them if they know how lucky they are to be here, because it came so close to never happening.
The film cuts back to the present, as Monty and James continue driving, heading North towards upstate N.Y. with the George Washington Bridge in the background.
Partial cast
Soundtrack
The original score was composed and performed by Terence Blanchard and released on 14 January 2003 for Hollywood Records.
Other songs that appear in the film (and are not included in the original score) are as follows:
- Big Daddy Kane - "Warm It Up, Kane"
- Craig Mack - "Flava in Ya Ear"
- Olympic Runners - "Put the Music Where Your Mouth Is"
- Grandmaster Melle Mel - "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)"
- Liquid Liquid - "Cavern"
- Cymande - "Bra"
- Cymande - "Dove"
- Cymande - "The Message"
- Bruce Springsteen - "The Fuse"
External links
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