Adapted by David Benioff from his 2000 novel, 25th Hour tells the story of a day in the life of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), an upscale drug dealer. This is not just any day, though, but rather the last 24 hours before he begins a seven-year jail sentence. This story in and of itself would not seem to resonate with the aftermath of September 11, but Lee and Benioff find subtle and clever ways to link the narrative with the setting, allowing the gaping hole in the middle of Manhattan where the World Trade Center towers once stood to become an all-encompassing metaphor for both the pains of life and hope for the future. It is not without reason that the opening credits fade in and out over images of the impressive twin lights that stood as a memorial for the towers in the immediate aftermath.

25th Hour is also the story of accepting one’s fate, however difficult it may be. There is a deeply existential thread that runs throughout, even though Monty is essentially doomed from the very start. The story constantly shows us that what Monty faces is not some cruel twist of fate thrown at him from an irrational god above, but rather the result of a series of choices he made in his life. Monty, it is made clear, is not an innocent man. One of the film’s first scenes shows us one of his longtime customers, a pathetic, strung-out junkie whose sad, drug-dependent existence is the foundation on which Monty built his business. This is not to say that Lee absolutely agrees with the severity of his fate—in fact, the film is quite critical of the stringent laws that guaranteed Monty’s lengthy jail sentence. Nevertheless, there is a sober rationality to the way Lee presents the impending punishment. This is heightened by the fact that Monty is not in any appreciable way sorry for what he has done. He’s sorry he got caught, but he never feels any true twinges of guilt that his actions may have caused harm to others.

Monty spends his last night with two of his oldest friends. One of these is Francis Slaughtery (Barry Pepper), an ego-driven Wall Street investor who supports Monty as a good friend should, but not-so-secretly feels that Monty is getting what he deserves. Monty’s other best friend, Jakob Elinsky (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a prep school English teacher, suppresses the impending reality of Monty’s incarceration and instead focuses, in a kind of sadly blind optimism, on his release more than half a decade down the road. Jakob tries to bathe himself and Monty in the warm glow of hopefulness, but it’s a weak light that he can’t sustain. All of them know that Monty will never be the same after serving his stretch—the 25th hour implied by the movie’s title is the time when his life will forever change.

There are two other significant characters in the film. The first is Monty’s girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), whom he loves deeply, but also suspects of having turned him in to the feds (in a flashback sequence, we see the DEA arrive with a search warrant, already knowing exactly where to look for the stashed drugs). The other is Monty’s father (Brian Cox), a burly Irish ex-fireman who runs a pub, the debts on which have been paid off largely by Monty’s drug money. His father feels deep guilt for Monty’s predicament, blaming himself and his drinking problem, and he insists that he be the one to drive Monty to the prison the next morning.

Much of the film takes place in a nightclub where Monty has gathered together with Francis, Jakob, and Naturelle and where they must all face their various shortcomings. Monty must have one last meeting with Uncle Nikolai (Levani Outchaneichvili), the Russian mafia boss for whom he works and who suspects that he may have let slip some information after his arrest. In a larger sense, he must also come to terms with his fate—he acts nonchalantly, but we learn that inside he is scared stiff. Jakob must deal with a secret crush he has on one of his students, a wild-child 17-year-old named Mary (Anna Paquin) who happens to be at the club that same night. Francis must face down his own split in trying to support Monty while also believing that he’s getting what he deserves, which ultimately involves a heated argument with Naturelle, whom he accuses of having sold Monty out.

In some ways, there is little dramatic tension in 25th Hour. After all, Monty’s fate is basically sealed, and the subplots (Jakob’s crush on Mary, etc.) are just supporting bits that reflect the film’s larger themes about decisions and repercussions, but don’t stand up all that well on their own. Yet, the film has a driving power because it is turned so deeply inward, focusing entirely on fears and desires and guilt and remorse (which is why Edward Norton, a Method actor of seemingly limitless depth, was such a perfect choice for the lead role). Lee includes some of his expected visual flourishes, particularly jump cuts and extreme angles, but he tones it down significantly, allowing the characters and their emotions to dominate the screen, rather than his own technical prowess.

The film concludes on a wonderfully played note in which Monty’s father drives him to prison and the screen unfolds into an alternate reality in which Monty doesn’t go to prison, but rather escapes to the West and makes a new life for himself in a small town. It’s a beautifully sustained bit of pastoral fantasy, playing much like the final quarter of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), but rather than being a manifestation of temptation to be resisted, it is a genuine exploration of what could be in what is perhaps a better world. Whether this ultimately happens or not is left beautifully, hauntingly vague, much like the fate of that great void where the twin towers once stood.

Copyright ©2014 James Kendrick

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