“And maybe one day, years from now, long after I'm dead and gone, reunited with your dear mother, you gather your whole family together and tell them the truth, who you are, where you come from. You tell them the whole story. And then you ask them if they know how lucky they are to be there...”

September 11th, 2001 was an event that will remain in infamy for all Americans, but especially New Yorkers. Our world was thrown out of complacency and into uncertainty. I use that word uncertainty with the most careful thought. Reactions from faces may have shown anger, fear, or sorrow, but the truest, deep feeling we all felt was the fear of what would happen next. For filmmakers, the once great city of New York closed itself off for filmmakers. Many struggled on how America could show New York once again (Men in Black 2, released in summer 2002, had to redo the entire ending sequence, which had used the towers). For Spike Lee, a filmmaker and Brooklyn residence who has always shown his heart on his sleeve, September 11th became the event that would reclaim his career. 25th Hour was born.

Written from his own book of the same name, David Benioff creates a story about a drug dealer named Montgomery Brogan, played by the always elusive Edward Norton. The opening scene with Monty, in which he rescues a poor dog, seems full of hope and ambition. Cue the credits, playing over the footage of the World Trade Center light memorial. The film then follows Monty over 24 hours, at which the end he will be heading to prison after being busted by the DEA. His life is full of uncertainty; not just by himself, but his friends (Barry Pepper and Phillip Seymour Hoffman), his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), and his father James (Brian Cox). Monty spends his day trying to heal loose ends, so he may go to prison with some sort of comfort.

But comfort is not in story for Monty. His life, which as we see in flashbacks was full of hope, seems dulled down to an unknown future. Some might say the metaphor for the American public is too easy and never deep, but Lee leaves it simply as subtext. America had aspiration until September 11th changed that, and we were left in a future of the unfamiliar. Lee’s camera does best at capturing this metaphor in one scene where sleazy high school teacher Jacob (Hoffman) and arrogant investment banker Frank (Pepper) discuss Monty’s options. The entire scene is shot from Frank’s apartment, looking out his window at Ground Zero.

Lee’s film captures not only the fact of this metaphor, but the different reactions to this. Each character seems to reflect a different vision of coping with the event. Monty represents anger and frustration. Jacob acts confused on how to respond. Frank simply tries to remember to good times. Naturelle tries to open up, needing discussion. James goes sentimental, trying to think of what he could have done to stop it.

This film also has Lee’s trademark observations of race, and the patchwork of New York City. In the film’s most memorable sequence, Monty rants toward a mirror in an empty bathroom, blaming his problems on different social groups including Brooklyn African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Benson Hurst Italians, Park Avenue upper class, Pakistani cab drivers, and many more. At first viewing, the entire thing feels like a racist tirade. But during a second viewing, I realized that even if Monty can’t stand New York, it’s his city. In a world that’s unable to understand each other, the only Monty can express his need for the city he grew up in his pure unadulterated hate.

Lee’s atheistic are once again top notch, reflecting his earlier work like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. He uses his flashy double takes, dolly cameras, and bright visuals to great effect (a club scene uses multiple colors schemes to great effect). But what Lee doesn’t do is let his visual flair overtake his story, using it simply to give the story and naturalistic flow.

    25th Hour is an underrated masterpiece. This film opened the gateways for the filmmakers of New York City. It examined a city that had been chilled by uncertainty and how we as Americans deal all through subtext. In the ending of 25th Hour, James imagines an alternate life for Monty where instead of going to prison, he moves out West to create a new life. But as the final shots develop and James reflects, “It came so close to never happening,” we understand that in the end, our choices define us. Our actions and reactions can decide so much that we are unaware of. 25th Hour is a cautionary tale for America, and one not to be dismissed lightly.