WhatzUp

The 25th Hour
by Derek Neff

The 25th Hour has been called the first post-9/11 movie, and though its subject is never explicitly the events of September 11, 2001, the aftermath of devastation is everywhere, resonating deeply in the lives of its characters.

New York City native Monty Brogan (Andrew Norton) has been convicted on charges of possession with intent, and is about to be put away in prison upstate for seven years — but not before his friends have thrown him a last bash at an exclusive Manhattan nightclub. His two buddies from way back in high school are Frank (Barry Pepper), a wolfish Wall Street broker who makes way too much money for his own good, and Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a high school English teacher who is as awkward and insecure as he is loyal and good-hearted (even if he does lust after one of his teenage students, played by Anna Paquin).

Also along for the evening is Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), Monty’s longtime girlfriend. A seed of suspicion has been planted in Monty’s brain that Naturelle may have been the person who tipped off the police about his criminal lifestyle, which adds an unspoken tension between the two that threatens to tear them apart before Monty has even been put away.

Not surprisingly, no one in Monty’s group — least of all Monty himself — has much fun on this final night before his imprisonment. An overwhelming sense of grief, regret and fear pervades the evening’s activities.

In a standout supporting role, Brian Cox plays Monty’s father, a retired firefighter who, we eventually find out, is willing to do anything to protect his son from harm, even if his son deserves punishment.

Director Lee, working alongside screenwriter David Benioff (adapting his own novel), has created here not just a rich character study of a single day in one man’s life; he has also crafted a nuanced and unforgettable love letter to New York City and — in the movie’s final heartbreaking segment — to America in general.

We’re not used to seeing Lee working at such a careful, measured pace. He takes the time to linger on each conversation, each expression, and draws each moment out further than we’re accustomed to. Lush orchestral arrangements by Terence Blanchard are present in nearly every scene, emphasizing the grandeur and pathos already there, and feel right.