25th Hour (2003)
86%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 17 nominations
An intelligent and well-acted film despite the usual Spike Lee excesses
Spike Lee’s 25th Hour is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, taking you from the depths of despair to the heights of hope. It’s a movie that will make you think, make you feel, and make you appreciate the power of cinema. And if you’re a fan of Spike Lee, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. Just be prepared for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Red Light Films, HBO, Cinemax Documentary Creative Visions
Distributor
Touchstone Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
West 4th Street Basketball Court, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language and some violence
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 14m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 10, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 25, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Isiah Whitlock Jr., directed by Spike Lee, written by David Benioff, produced by Jon Kilik, Tobey Maguire, Julia Chasman, drama, R-rated, box office gross $13.1M, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Barbara Ellen, Candice Frederick, Alan Morrison, Jeannette Catsoulis, Peter Bradshaw, Taylor Baker, Tom Meek, PJ Nabarro, Jim Laczkowski, Monty Brogan, drug dealer, September 11 attacks, New York City, prison sentence, friendship, trust, regret, post-911 New York, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $23,932,055
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $38,790,792
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,449
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,230,184
US/Canada gross: $13,084,595
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,208,450
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,393
US/Canada opening weekend: $108,865
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $176,456
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,711
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,104,359
Production budget ranking: 1,746
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,364,197
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $26,322,236
ROI to date (est.): 211%
ROI ranking: 605
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Jacob Elinsky
Barry Pepper – Francis Xavier Slaughtery
Rosario Dawson – Naturelle Riviera
Anna Paquin – Mary D’Annuzio
Brian Cox – James Brogan
Director – Spike Lee
Producers – Jon Kilik, Tobey Maguire, Julia Chasman
Writers – David Benioff, David Benioff
Director(s)
Spike Lee
Writer(s)
David Benioff, David Benioff
Producer(s)
Jon Kilik, Tobey Maguire, Julia Chasman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (175) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (37)
Spike Lee’s latest-his 20th feature including TV work-is at long last the raging masterpiece many have suspected him capable of. 25th Hour eclipses everything he’s done before, including Do the Right Thing…
March 16, 2020
Joshua Rothkopf
In These Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s an odd movie, maybe odder than it should have been if this is Lee’s attempt to make a more widely accessible, less issue-based movie.
January 3, 2018
Barbara Ellen
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If you’re in any way a Spike Lee fan, check this out.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
One of the more entertaining and thought-provoking Spike Lee Joints in a long while.
December 30, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
‘Spike Lee’s love of New York, unlike Woody Allen’s, has always been more tough than tender.’
March 22, 2005 | Rating: 4.5/5
Jeannette Catsoulis
Las Vegas Mercury
TOP CRITIC
A turgid, bombastic and outrageously self-satisfied movie.
July 8, 2003 | Rating: 1/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
It seems Spike has the most to say with his camera when he has the least to do with the screenplay.
August 27, 2021 | Rating: 88/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Another un-Spike Spike Lee joint, and probably Lee’s greatest film that doesn’t deal head-on with the matter of race.
June 29, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
This sprawling and ecletic work from Spike Lee has, in a sense, more going for it in the ragged fringes of its story than in its slightly awkward, pre-determined centre.
February 1, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
A reminder of how human beings can lose their humanity in the face of grief and tragedy but can find it again through helping others rather than turning a blind eye. It’s an important work of art.
October 31, 2018
Jim Laczkowski
Voices & Visions
Profoundly suffused with an aura of loss.
August 19, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
there is still plenty of angst saturating the film
January 10, 2016 | Rating: 2/5
Kevin Carr
Fat Guys at the Movies…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy, funny, or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for 25th Hour.
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