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WSR Detailed DVD Review
25th Hour
Genre: Drama

Reviewed In Issue 73 (June 2003) Of Widescreen Review®

Stars:
Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin & Brian Cox

WSR Review Scores
WSR Picture Rating: 3.5
DD Sound Rating: 4.5
DTS Sound Rating: NA
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score: 3
Internet Links
http://www.25thhour.movies.com

Special Features
Special features include an audio commentary track with director Spike Lee, an additional audio commentary with screenwriter Davide Benioff, a 22-minute look at the evolution of filmmaker Spike Lee's career, six deleted scenes, and six-minutes of haunting footage of the work at Ground Zero in New York.


 DVD General Information

(Studio/Distributor): Touchstone Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number): 30582
(MPAA Rating): R
(Rating Reason):

Strong langauge and some violence
(Retail Price): $29.99
(DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
(Widescreen Edition): Yes
(Full Screen Edition): No
(Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
(Running Time In Minutes): 135
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Regional Coding): 1
(Theatrical Year): 2002
(Theatrical Release): Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release): No
(DVD Release Date): 05/20/03
(THX® Digitally Mastered): Yes

 Credits Information

(Director): Spike Lee
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  DVD Picture Information

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  DVD Sound Information

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  WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
In "25th Hour," the clock is counting down to the moment Monty Brogan (Norton) must face seven long years of prison time. Once a king of Manhattan, Monty is about to say goodbye to the life he knew - and that is almost too much for him to bear. In his last day on the outside, Monty tries to reconnect with his father (Cox), and spends one last night on the town with his buddies from the old days (Hoffman and Pepper). Into the mix is his girlfriend, Naturelle (Dawson), who might (or might not) have been the one who tipped off the cops. Based on David Benioff's book. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a gritty picture with plenty of texture provided by inherent grain in the source element. The picture is sharp and detailed, with highly contrasted images and blacks that drop off with little shadow delineation. The result is a bit of a flat appearance, but the look is a stylistic choice of the filmmakers and is comparable, in many ways, to the look of other Spike Lee joints. Edge enhancement provides a hard edge to images at times, and there is some pixelization noticed. The footage of post-9/11 New York during the opening credits is chillingly artistic. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack sounds wonderful, with a soundstage that is predominated by the music score, which has been very well-recorded and effectively permeates the listening space. Also associated with the music is a clean, well-defined deep bass presence with prominent LFE channel activity and extension to well below 50 Hz, even in the surrounds. The sense of atmosphere is compelling throughout and soundstaging across the screen is nicely panoramic. The dialogue is also distinguished, with voices sounding natural in tonality and spatial integration. (Perry Sun)

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
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