In case you missed it … ’25th Hour’

This is one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time and for good reason. If you haven’t seen this, or have no idea about it then you are in for a treat! “A Spike Lee Joint”, this movie is far more different than any of the other spike lee stuff I have seen.

The cast alone is enough draw a person in … starring Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, and Barry Pepper. The only reason I went to see it was to build upon my Ed Norton obsession that had recently come about after seeing Red Dragon, American History X, The Score and previously Fight Club. What I found after I left this movie was a truly intense, real life look at what it is like for someone about to enter a long prison sentence.

The story follows Edward Norton who plays Monty Brogan a drug deal who got “touched” and is about to face a 7 year sentence in prison. The entire movie takes place over the course of his last day before reporting to serve out his sentence. Trying to come to terms with the fact that the people closest to him may have in fact been the ones who turned him in, he tries to square things away in his last 24 hours (The 25th hour being the first hour of his prison term). Philip Seymour Hoffman plays one of his best friends from his childhood Jacob Elinsky, who is an English teacher at a local high school. Jacob is trying to cope with his friend going to prison, and fighting off urges to hook up with one of his students who is played by Anna Paquin (Rouge in X-Men). Rosario Dawson plays Monty’s sultry Cuban girlfriend Naturelle Rivera, who he suspects might be involved in his bust. His other best friend Barry Pepper plays Frank Slaughtery, a flashy wall street trader who thinks he is gods gift to women. Eventually they all meet up for a going away party in which Monty flies through the night saying his goodbyes, finding himself, and the truth about his bust.

This movie gets an A+, 5 out of 5 stars, 2 thumbs up..anything you can give it, it should get. If you haven’t seen it, go out and BUY it … wont be more than $7.50 at Wal-Mart, and probably a couple bucks used on amazon.