|
 Movie
B |
Video A- | Audio A-
| Extras B
Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry
Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox
director Spike Lee | Touchstone Pictures (Buena Vista)
2002 | Drama | R | 135 minutes
Region 1 | DVD-9
anamorphic
widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio
| THX-certified
Dolby Digital 5.1
Summary: 25th Hour is a compelling piece of storytelling from director Spike Lee about what is a gritty subject.
Edward Norton stars as Monty Brogan, a drug dealer in Manhattan. The movie recounts his last day as a free man.
Convicted of a drug possession charge, he is out on bail. He spends time contemplating about his life.
He struggles to find meaning with his life, but he only finds regret in the things that he has done.
As he spends the final moments of free life with his dad, his girl, and his old school buddies, he is uneasy as he still wonders who betrayed him and tipped the DEA.
He faces seven years in prison, assuming that he survives prison
life. He makes some tough decisions, reconnects with his family and
friends, and finally “grows up” during the 25th hour.
The character studies are rich and deep, but mostly at the cost of the movie’s run time.
It’s a good movie and the ending is somewhat interesting, but I didn’t find it terribly satisfying.
Perhaps that was by design. Just like everything else in the movie, director Spike Lee incorporated it to drive home a point.
The language is very strong, with plenty of “thematic material” that is bound to offend just about anyone.
But again, there is purpose... to portray Monty’s frustration and anger,
and other things. The opening credits show the twin towers of light, commemorating the loss of fellow Americans in the World Trace Center.
It is effectively used to quickly establish the tone of the movie.
Edward Norton is perfect for this role.
Few younger actors can take on such landmark roles. Performances from
Barry Pepper and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were also right on the
mark. It’s a gritty subject, but the 25th Hour is
enlightening to say the least.
Special Features: audio commentary by
director Spike Lee, audio commentary by screenwriter David Benioff; deleted
scenes (6); "The Evolution of an American Filmmaker" featurette;
"Ground Zero: A Tribute" video montage
DVD released on 5/20/2003 | Reviewed 5/19/2003
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Additional Notes: Unless we specify otherwise, the
video and audio quality are very good when their grades are "A-"
or better. Only the highest number of channels of surround sound
format is listed (e.g., Dolby Digital 5.1). If there are both Dolby
Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, then both are listed. All
DVD-Video discs are backwards compatible with stereo-only playback
systems.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year
2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.
| 
United We Stand
