As I reflect on Spike Lee's recent film "25th Hour" it is evident in the shift in his directorial maturity.  Although I will wait for subsequent viewings, I am prepared to call this his best film to date. If nothing else, this is his most somber and subtle expression, veering from his usual heavy-handed approach. '25th Hour' had elements of his highly acclaimed "Do the Right Thing' but was closer to a more controlled and deliberately paced film.

Known, with Woody Allen, as the consummate New York director he broached (in a mainstream film) the aftermath of 9/11 by more than just incorporating the presence of ground zero at various scenes into his character study of five individuals and their reaction to a single event. The focus of the film's plot lies not in the collapse of the Twin Towers but in the final freedom (24 hours) of a convicted drug peddler known as Monty Brogan. He is set to spend the next 7 years behind bars and this film documents his last 24 hours prior to incarceration.  His interaction with girlfriend, family and friends - his suspicions of who "ratted" him out and his past reflections and future redemptions are all confronted.

Monty's echoing lament of "if it only hadn't happened" is easily reflected as the tragedy of 9/11. Whether it be the blue searchlight beams from ground zero or the ode to firefighters in Monty's father's bar, the references are continuously evident. Is Monty the microcosm of a shell-shocked America? - confused about who has betrayed him - critical of his own complacency -  weary of the undetermined prospects that the near future has in store? The open-ended speculative nature of these critical focal points seems too coincidental. In addition there are a multitude of non-judgmental interpersonal issues that face direct comparisons touching upon the myriad of subtleties of the consistent coda of directors  Zhang Yimou or Abbas Kiarostami . These can be digested in different portions by different viewers - and the contemplative nature is there beauty.

Gary W. Tooze