As I left the theatre having seen 25th Hour, Spike Lee's directorial return to form, I was reminded why I love going to the movies. The film contains fine performances by the cast, has snappy dialogue, an excellent script, and assured direction. That's enough to make me happy I shelled out the cash to see it in the theatre. Yet, what makes 25th Hour a particular joy is the exegesis of its central characters; the film mirrors the complex emotions, the hidden fears and regrets that people experience in life.

25th Hour follows the last day of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a likeable drug dealer, who has been sent down for seven years in a upstate New York prison. As the film progresses we begin to understand how this bright and intelligent man lazily fell into this lifestyle, and how nobody did anything to dissuade him from his very profitable profession, lest of all himself. Some of Monty's past decisions are shown via flashback, others are hashed out by his two friends from high school, Frank (Barry Pepper), and Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman), or his ex-alcoholic father James (Brian Cox), and his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson).

A melancholy pervades the film from the beginning, which is aided by a haunting score by Terence Blanchard. The fact that the events play out in post-Sept 11th New York adds another layer of languid gloom to the film. This is not a depressing movie, however, but it is a deeply introspective one. It digs deep into the motives of the characters, and exposes their human flaws and desires. Monty is the character that binds the group together; an affable man who has made some bad choices, and now must pay for his mistakes. His friends and family each wonder where Monty went wrong, and how s/he could have put him right, and this provides writer David Benioff the device for an examination of each of the characters. Though, the emphasis is on the men.

There are some pivotal scenes, such as when Frank and Jacob discuss Monty's future, with the crater of the World Trade Centre behind them. Monty's 7-year sentence is a bombshell in their lives, and it will not go away. Monty's "fuck you" monologue is a superb piece of writing and acting. He taps into his reservoir of rage, fear and uncertainty and lashes out at everyone in NY, but ultimately can't escape his understanding that he has only himself to blame. The one quibble I have with the film is that the final scene, featuring a long monologue by James imagining a fantastical future for Monty, almost goes over the border of poignancy and into sentimentality. Thankfully Spike pulls back from the edge.

This is cinema at its best: real human complexities, difficult life choices, and dealing with the consequences of one's actions. It's affirming to know that films of this calibre are being made despite the fact we live in the era of the blockbuster and the sequel. Go see this film, and remind yourself that cinema can be a realistic, heartfelt and honest reflection of human dilemmas.