25th Hour, marks a definite departure for director Spike Lee. It's only the second time (the other being Clockers '95), that Lee has directed a fictional film based on a book, and one of only a few times that he has not written the screenplay himself (or at least had a hand in it). The novel, by David Benioff (who also penned the adaptation), is set in New York but, other than the familiar setting, 25th Hour bears little resemblance to the themes and characters that have inhabited most of Lee's films. Race relations are not an issue here, and nearly all of the characters are of the Caucasian persuasion.

25th Hour confirms that Lee has a remarkably keen sense of cinematic style, that in many ways are on par with such heavyweights like Scorsese and Spielberg. Unfortunately, like even those brilliant directors, he has an occasional tendency to screw up his own work.

Lee's latest revolves around the unhappy circumstances of the life of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a drug dealer who has already been popped by the DEA. We pick up the story as Norton has 24 hours before reporting to prison for a seven-year "Irish Vacation." During this period, which Norton treats as though it were the last day of his life, he must bid sweet adieu to friends and preside over a farewell party where he is the guest of honor at a nightclub where he has been a beloved regular.

Norton is a man with a lot on his mind, chief among these things is his suspicion that it was his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), who turned him in. Monty Brogan is a tortured soul staring down the barrel at a seven year tour of hell.

His best friends are Jakob (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a depressed schoolteacher, and Francis (Barry Pepper), a hot-shot investment banker. They support Monty, though they privately harbor notions that he's getting what he deserves. Conversely Monty loves his friends, but finds himself contemplating whether or not they might have done more to prevent him from screwing up his fast-lane life.

25th Hour has a depressingly real and visceral sense of doom throughout, and Norton's depiction of Monty's regret, anger and sadness force us to reflect on what we would do if we were in his shoes. Would we run for it, and live our life in hiding, away from our loved-ones? His father, wonderfully portrayed by the always terrific (Brian Cox) even suggests this, though it would mean perhaps never seeing his son again.

Norton's most shining moment as Monty is a lengthy soliloquy in front a mirror in which he rails against every group in New York: blacks, cops, gays, Asians, Osama bin Laden, everyone, on and on for what seems like several minutes, each vicious slur more impassioned than the last. It's a riveting scene, that reminds of similar talk-to-the-camera moments in "Do the Right Thing" (1989), but far more inflammatory. This, scene of course is the most Spike-esque thing in 25th Hour and will, not doubt, divide people into those who liked it and those who thought it was over-the-top and Spike-indulgent.

There is also a little subplot between Hoffman (a lonesome and horny soul) and one of his under-aged students, played with reckless exuberance by Anna Paquin. Even though it was kind of a plot detour, Hoffman creates one of those moments of awkward pathos that he seems to have the patent on. This part of the film was given alot more play in the novel - then again the novel showed that the night in question was kind of a crossroad for all of the characters..

Where Lee really shoots himself in the foot and compromises what would have otherwise been a great film was his foolhardy insistence on tacking on a lot of post-9/11 references into the story. Jakob and Francis have a lengthy conversation in Francis' apartment, which overlooks Ground Zero. On the one hand you have to admire Lee's audacity for being the first to address the attack in a feature film. Then again you have to feel that it was done for the sake of earning the footnote of being the first. The story itself, written in 2000, didn't profit from the stapled on 9/11 baggage, and every time it pops up in the film, it stands out like a sore thumb.

You could also argue that the ending is heavy handed. I won't give it away, but it's a bit of cinematic sleight of hand where you're expecting one thing and then you get another. Which would be fine if the big secret - this thing that's been whispered between Norton and Pepper all night, turns out to be kind of a laughable ploy. It was made out to be such an earth-shattering secret and ultimately turns out to be rather facile and stupid. Aside from those two complaints, I'd recommend the movie quite highly, the cast and the acting alone are well worth your time.