50th Favorite Movie - 25th Hour

25th Hour, directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002, was one of the first films to refer to the tragedy of 9/11. Spike was already in pre-production when the attack on his beloved city occured, but rather than ignoring it he decided to incorporate the post 9/11 feel into the background of his story.

The story focuses on the last 24 hours of freedom for a drug dealer played by Edward Norton before he is sent to prison for 7 years. I didn't know that happens in real life, but apparently for non-violent crimes someone could receive their sentence and then have some days or weeks to spend with family and friends before checking in to the not-so friendly confines of prison. So while the film isn't necessarily about 9/11, there are glimpses of Ground Zero and snippets of dialogue about it throughout the film. The cast is superb: joining Ed are Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Bryan Cox and Anna Paquin. Many of them play characters who love NYC like I love the O-A-K and they are still visibly shattered from being so close to something so terrible. Which I guess parallels the predicament of Ed Norton's character.

The first time I saw 25th Hour was late at night at the Bay Street theater with John L. I remember really liking it, especially the "what if" sequence at the end when Ed Norton's character is riding in the car with his dad. The funny thing is I did not get around to seeing it for a second time until recently, when Bethany and I watched it together. We watched it partly because of the 5 year anniversary of 9/11 and partly because we will be travelling to New York over Thanksgiving. I had forgotten how emotionally powerful the film is. "My boy" Mick LaSalle, movie critic for the SF Chronicle, says it is "still the best film made in the 21st century". I recommend 25th Hour to anyone who likes Ed Norton, anyone who likes good films, or anyone who ever wonders what it would feel like to have one more day of freedom before 7 years of hell.