Starring: Edward Norton (Montgomery ‘Monty’ Brogan), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Jacob Elinksy), Barry Pepper (Frank Slaughtery), Rosario Dawson (Naturelle Riviera), Anna Paquin (Mary D’Annunzio), Brian Cox (James Brogan)
It was Kostya (Tony Siragusa) who sold Monty out, not Naturelle. Monty decides not to kill him, so he walks away and lets the Russian mob guys take care of him. Monty asks Frank to beat him up and make him look ugly, so he won’t have to walk into prison looking the way he does. Frank refuses to do it, but Monty taunts him until he does do it. Frank cries afterwards, Monty walks home. James (Monty’s father) arrives to drive him to the prison. Monty says goodbye to Naturelle and tells her to get on with her life and forget about him. His father tells him he is willing to turn and cross the George Washington Bridge and drop him off in a small town far away. He tells Monty he can start a new life somewhere else, but he can never write, call or return home ever again. In a couple years, maybe he could send a letter to Naturelle and they could live together in the town and start a family. He tells Monty to raise his children right and someday tell them what happened to him. As Monty fantasizes about this happy life he could have, we see the car driving straight past the George Washington Bridge exit without turning. Monty has accepted his fate and will go to prison.
Comments about this movie? Wow, what an awesome movie were the first words I thought after watching this film. How this movie was overlooked, I’ll never understand. Spike Lee did a great job getting the messages across throughout the film. I especially loved the scene where Monty was looking in the mirror and saying f*** you to everybody in New York and then finally saying f*** you to himself. Subtle but obvious. He has nobody to blame but himself for ruining his life. Edward Norton gives another riveting and stellar performance, proving once again to be one of the greatest actors of this generation. He plays Monty, a man who has 24 hours left of freedom before he goes to prison to serve a 7 year sentence for drug dealing. Monty spends the next 24 hours with his girlfriend, 2 best friends, father, and dog, trying to tie up any loose ends he has with them. Also, strong performances by the supporting cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Cox, and Barry Pepper. Amazing film.
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