25th Hour

I think it's fair to say that Spike Lee is one of our most honest film directors. He doesn't shirk from showing us harsh reality -- Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X -- and he makes all this palatable, uncomfortable and oh-so-righteous at the same time. Which is saying a lot. But, one thing that he seems to lack is the ability to film a comprehensive story. By comprehensive I mean "I have all the elements I need to understand the main theme." This film delivers a look into the last day of a convicted felon before he goes to prison. It is filled with incredible performances. Usually, I can choose my fave performance, but in this case Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson and Barry Pepper are all superb. Each performance is worth every dime you spent, yet all together it lacks focus. I wondered exactly what Lee was trying to convey. I had no trouble recognizing his view on the moral differences among people which can be hidden beneath the surface, the rage we all carry because we're so individually helpless, and the 9/11 carnage (which figures prominently in the film). But what is he really trying to say about felonies, those who commit them, and the justice that gets meted out. It could very possibly be that he's trying to give us all points of view so we can make up our own minds. And, in that case, while that's instructive, it unfortunately muddies up the film.

year: 2002
length: 135 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/combined