There are a lot of people who don't think Spike Lee is the right choice to direct an Oldboy remake (something that shouldn't be remade to begin with).

To those people, I show them this and say "He knows what he's doing; trust me."

Fuck, this was amazing. Gripping, enthralling, captivating, what have you.. works as a meditation on life as well.

Spike Lee just made sure he's one of the favorites in my book. All the leads are great but it was Barry Pepper who really surprised me. He was fantastic. Especially the scene that takes place under the bridge at the end. Won't spoil it, but that was one of the most powerful scenes I have seen in a long time.

What do you do on your last day of freedom? You cannot undo the past. The mistakes done are irreparable. Hence a future filled with pain lies ahead. It is easy to give up. But there comes the stunner of a redemptive climax. You need to go ahead and face it with courage and determination. Otherwise, some years down the lane, you would be wondering, life could have been so different if you had the backbone to endure the difficulties. And if you did dig out of the shit, then you can have the satisfaction of saying"THIS LIFE CAME SO CLOSE TO NEVER HAPPENING."

Spike lee never disappoints and Norton is just amazing. This film is sadly poetic and profanely eloquent. I will watch this many more times in the years to come. One of the best redemption films out there. 

The first time I watched this I wasn't impressed. If I had a time machine I would go back and make myself ugly. After having stumbled across the mirror scene on Youtube a few weeks ago I have been thinking a lot about the film, and finally today I went out and found a copy. While there are some moments that I don't like, this still gets a whole hearted five star rating. In order to more specifically single out the moments I don't like in this five star film, I have created a good list and a bad list below. Enjoy.

The Good
Every moment that Anna Paquin is not on screen.

The Bad
Every moment that Anna Paquin is on screen.

Spike Lee's crowning achievement.

I'm not a Spike Lee fan at all but this was really amazing. Edward Norton was great but I think Barry Pepper stole every scene he was in.

The major problem I found with this film was that I never ended up really caring what happened to anyone. Every scene feels like a slog through pointless action to pointless action
It gets 2 stars because Edward Norton really pulls off the character well in some cases, but it's all for naught

If one of the first major films to be set in post-9/11 New York wasn't going to be directed by Scorsese, then I guess it was gonna have to be Spike Lee.

Anger and frustration is a fairly dominant theme, which is to be expected, but fortunately it is not too overbearing (apart from during Norton's 5 minute monologue but it's awesomeness makes it perfectly acceptable).

My only gripe with the film is the strange 'replay' edits scattered randomly throughout. I still can't figure out what the purpose of them is supposed to be and they always just seem completely unnecessary.

I have mixed feelings about this film. It was interesting but had a vale of mundanity thrown over the top which made it drier and duller than I expected. Norton was great, although his performance doesn't ever resonate with me.

"Shiiit... Mr. Brogan, I do believe you're fucked... royally! SHIIIIIT...!"

What a good film. Proves you don't need Hollywood visual effects to make a great movie. It's a very simple film with a good concept.

The 25th Hour depicts the last day of freedom for a young man before he begins serving a seven-year jail term for drug dealing. Prowling through the city until dawn with his two close male friends and his girlfriend, he is forced to re-examine his life and how he got himself into his predicament, which leads to a shocking, disturbing finale

On a final note, the "Fuck You" mirror scene is probably one of the most moving and well thought out speeches i've ever seen. I'm not racist or anything but it's really clever.

25th hour is a very entertaining film, the message is a bit at your face but still highly enjoyable. The acting is sharp and endearing all around, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman, he's such a great actor, love him. The direction is a bit uneven and the film takes its time to get going but once it does, it certainly is awfully enthralling.

Part 3 of Adapted April Challenge

One of the better movies I've seen lately. A great story and a brilliant screenplay are paired with amazing acting. Norton is great, but Barry Pepper steals the show in this one. As many others have noted, the scene under the bridge is some damn fine acting on his part.

The story shows what a normal guy who made some very bad choices, thinks about on his last day of freedom. There is no intriguing plot, but the movie is a great character study, seeing just how a criminal and different people in his life deal with the fact, that he is going away for 7 years.

After watching it, I suddenly found myself thinking which path I would chose in the end, if it was me driving down that road.

I love Spike Lee and Norton, but nothing much happend in this movie.

The only interesting scene was the 'Fuck Monologue'.

A fine movie that is worth watching just for the one, incredibly explicit and inappropriate but oh so passionate monologue.