Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Scott Moorehead There's a lot to like about this film. Ed Norton is in fine form and Spike Lee is possibly at his best here and their contributions to this film should not be diminished ... but, I feel like David Benioff is probably the biggest unsung hero on this project. The writing is great. The situations and the story structure are simple and effective, and by the end of the film, I actually CARED about what was going to happen to the characters. I've heard Spike Lee decided to infuse a lot of the 9-11 elements into the film, and I think that was a good choice -- it adds a sense of nostalgia for the carefree days of yesteryear -- and the social psyche parallels our hero's psyche. The future is foreboding ...Highly recommended for those who haven't seen this film.

sharky_55 Monty Brogan comes across an injured dog in the opening scene. First he wants to put it out of its misery, but upon its fierce growls, he resolves to nurse Doyle back to health. Fast forward to his last 24 hours of freedom, and Doyle is there. This is a starkly depressing portrait of New York City painted by Spike Lee. The opening credits feature twin spotlights in place of the World Trade Towers, and the great city is dark, muted, grieving in the wake of 9/11. Prieto opens with a grainy look. Jacob and Frank talk over the ashes of Ground Zero and the tragedy that shoot America, but he would never sell such a prestigious spot in the skyline. The muted palette is punctuated by a few instances of vivid colour. The most memorable is the monologue in the bathroom, where Norton's passionate and bitter voice-over serenades a highly saturated daydream of New York and its various inhabitants and creatures. The sky is literally pure white, such is the intensity of the colour grading. It's a great contrast to the sheer hostility in Monty's rant. The outrageous flood of emotions in the wake of his mistake and the city, in all its glory and gore signify not only how he wishes he had quit earlier, but the harsh reality that this is all his own doing as his mirror self unleashes. The first two stages of grief are denial and anger; Norton fully showcases both here.His two best friends mirror his dilemma in their own lives. Frank is a cocky wall street broker, who like Monty, has indulged in a lavish lifestyle by profiting on the misery of others. He is so sure that Monty's life is over as he repeatedly tells Jacob; but then later in the silence of the club, he makes a heartfelt promise to be there after 7 years. They leave on heartbreaking terms; the 'fight' scene is visceral like no other, so much more emotional punch (both literally and figuratively) and conflict because we know how much Frank loves Monty and yet how angry those blows feel - how long has he wanted to beat some sense into his best friend? Jacob's issue is his attraction to one of his students, but Benioff's twist is that both seem to understand why they cannot go any further. Two of Lee's trademark double dolly shots appear here. One, of Paquin in her ecstasy driven state of pure euphoria, slowed down to magnify the drug's effects. The second, right after that momentary kiss; Jacob stares at the camera in confusion and distress as he glides along, the club raging on without him. There is a sobering effect as he realises what he has done; one little whisper like Kostya and his comfortable life will crumble. Both Hoffman and Pepper excel at these supporting roles, and credit must also be given to Benioff for creating such an engaging trio who seem to be utterly and distinctly different from each other. How many movies would group together a pompous wall streeter, a modest English teacher and a drug dealer together? But they display such depth, and so we fully believe that Frank will not break his promise, but also feel the shocking need for each blow which distorts Monty's face. Dawson as Naturelle is seductive, and yet disproportionately shallow. Their little youthful encounter (Ebert would call it a meet cute) by the swings does not hold the same unspoken bond that Monty has with Jacob and Frank. This is a messy movie. Car trunks are slammed shut, and then again. We jump cut in the middle of dialogue subtly, and the 180 degree rule is violated when the trio fight under the bridge. On the other hand, we have that final segment where Monty's father envisages an alternative escape for his son. It has a certain sentimental charm to it, and almost verges on cliché; Monty and Naturelle reunite and come together three times in succession, and grow old and tell their story (Blanchard's score is its most stirring here). But Cox makes it heart-wrenchingly evocative in his monologue; he talks of an idyllic future that Monty will never experience, and he is powerless to change this. An old saying states that no parents should ever have to bury their children. Here, no child should have to support their father's bar with drug money, and we feel James' guilt in his every word, and it is tragic.

bandw Monty Brogan deals drugs, gets ratted on, and nets a seven year prison sentence. It would seen that some people feel that by tweaking a few of the initial conditions in stories in this genre an original and creative movie will pop out. Not so, at least in this case, with the tweak being that we follow Monty in the 24 hours prior to his reporting to prison.As Monty, Edward Norton turns in a performance that is what you would expect from him in this role. The talents of Philip Seymour Hoffman are wasted as Monty's nerdy English teacher friend. The only actor whose performance goes beyond the adequate is Brian Cox as Monty's father.There are one or two interesting scenes, but that is not enough to carry the movie. The scene where Monty is talking to himself in the mirror where he vents his spleen against every sexual, racial, and class stereotype, winding up with himself, is interesting and the fantasy that his dad spins about an escape at the end is well done. I did like that the assurance "we will be there for you when you get out," offered by Monty's friends was offset by the recognition by all concerned that Monty would not be the same person when he got out that he was before going in.A lot of efforts were made to add some gravitas to the happenings, but they seemed forced to me. The cleanup of the Twin Towers site is used as the backdrop for some scenes, with bulldozers plying the ground and the vertical blue searchlights piercing the night sky. Such scenes provoke strong emotions for most Americans, particularly for those who lived through that time. But what was the purpose for having those scenes in this movie besides exploitation? Evoking such tragedy in a story that is no tragedy seems cheap. Scenes filmed using unusual color palettes, odd camera angles, or double takes were more distracting than illuminating. The thing that I found most irritating was the score--most of the time it worked at cross purposes to the mood, calling attention to it rather than the action on screen. The score tries to produce a heavy mood that simply is not there in the story.Many scenes, like the ones in the nightclub, go on too long--those scenes accumulate to the entire movie's going on too long.

grantss Original story with a powerful ending.The story of a man who is about to go to jail (for the first time) for seven years for drug-related offenses. The movie shows his last hours before he is to go to jail.Quite original and interesting in that it deals with a situation which occurs to many people every year. Shows how he deals with it, or doesn't, and how his friends and family deal with it.On the downside, is quite slow and doesn't really feel like it is going anywhere, until the final few scenes. Very powerful ending.Solid performance by Edward Norton in the lead role. Philip Seymour Hoffman is is usual reliable, convincing self as one of his friends. Barry Pepper is irritating as another, but maybe that was the plan. Good support from Rosario Dawson and Anna Paquin. I found Brian Cox a bit irritating as his father though.