![]() He has become type-casted as a race-only director, which is really unfair because he is one of the smartest directors of modern day. Spike Lee has churned out another great picture, but he wisely stayed clear of the racial story for a change. Endings make or break a film, and Cox single-handedly sets it in the right direction. He has a very small role in "The 25th Hour," but like Norton's spiel about how he hates New York, Cox is given the chance to do a powerful segment at the end of the film. Kudos must go to Brian Cox, though, who has reinvented himself in the last few years, showing up in countless films and turning in countless good performances. Philip Seymour Hoffman, surprisingly, is the least commanding out of the cast, but even his not-so-good is pretty damn good. Anna Paquin continues to choose roles wisely, here portraying the seductive, forbidden fruit. Barry Pepper, though he has made some poor career choices in the past, is top notch here, a man who is in control yet really isn't. Rosario Dawson oozes with sexiness while at the same time turns in her best performance to date (of course, I won't even count "Men in Black II" as a performance). His acting is complimented by great performances all around. Here is a very angry man that is going to be put away for seven years how would you feel? "Fuck the Pakistanis, Fuck the basketball players that take five steps and don't get called from traveling, fuck the priests that put their hands down boy's pants, fuck Osama bin Laden, fuck the Korean grocers, and so on and so forth"). His performance is defined by a single scene in which he bashes every single person in New York by name (eg. The intensity of "Hour's" Monty Brogan is strong, but nothing compared to the hateful thing he was in "American History X," which will cost him an Oscar nomination nonetheless, this is one of the finest performances I have seen all year. ![]() In "The 25th Hour," he returns most closely to his character in "American History X," a man who has done wrong in the past and is only now, after it is too late, realizing what he has done. In "Primal Fear" he was a stuttering murderer in "American History X" a reformed skinhead in "Keeping the Faith" a kindly priest and in "Death to Smoochy" an idealist kid's show host. Every role he's been in, including "Death to Smoochy," has been uniquely different and top notch. To say the least, most of these actors are consistently excellent, and choose their films very wisely (guess which one is a big exception. Director Spike Lee's latest film, "The 25th Hour," is about just that: What could you have done to change your life? What would you do in your last 24 hours of freedom? What would you do if you had a choice?Įdward Norton leads an all-star cast of Brian Cox (Hannibal Lecter in "Manhunter"), Rosario Dawson ("Men in Black II"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Punch-Drunk Love"), Anna Paquin ("X-Men"), and Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan"). In a year of rather disappointing and flaky movies, it is refreshing to see a serious, character-driven drama about the mistakes in life and the choices we make. Now available on Blu-ray and DVD ( Buy on Amazon)
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