Original Release Date
December 19, 2002
Rotten Tomatoes
79%
Letterboxd Score
3.8/5
Official Synopsis
Set in the raw, immediate aftermath of post-9/11 New York City, 25th Hour follows Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) during his final twenty-four hours of freedom before beginning a seven-year prison sentence for drug dealing. Throughout his last night, Monty tries to reconnect with his father (Brian Cox) and his two best friends (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper) while grappling with the realization that someone close to him betrayed him. It is a haunting, melancholic examination of regret, friendship, and a city in mourning [2, 4].
The Last Night
- Edward Norton: Monty Brogan
- Philip Seymour Hoffman: Jacob Elinsky
- Barry Pepper: Frank Slaughtery
- Rosario Dawson: Naturelle Rivera
- Anna Paquin: Mary D'Annunzio
- Brian Cox: James Brogan
The Architects
- Director: Spike Lee
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
- Music: Terence Blanchard
- Editing: Barry Alexander Brown
The Official Trailer
The Accolades
- 🏆 Golden Globe Nominee: Best Original Score (Terence Blanchard) [3].
- ✨ Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Bear Nominee (Spike Lee).
- 📽️ Modern Classic Status: Frequently cited as one of the best films of the 2000s and a definitive NYC film.
Vault Intelligence
- Edward Norton famously took a significant pay cut to ensure the film could be made on its modest $5 million budget [2].
- It was the first major motion picture to explicitly show Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks, a creative choice Spike Lee insisted upon to ground the story in reality [2].
- The "Fuck You" mirror monologue was a direct homage to a similar scene in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.
Film Specifications
| Financial Backing | $5 Million Budget [2] |
| Theatrical Earnings | $23.9 Million (Global Gross) [2] |
| Primary Location | New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) [2] |
| Cinematic Format | 35mm / 2.39:1 Anamorphic |
Retrospective Pending
"Ray’s full 2026 Northstar analysis for this haunting urban poem is currently being restored from the vault."
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A Masterpiece of Regret
