The film revolves around a parole officer named Jack, played by Robert De Niro, and Norton’s character Stone, who’s been convicted of arson and accessory to murder.  A great amount of time is spent examining their relationship, with Jack on the right side of the desk, and Stone, who’s vying for early parole.  There are some great scenes here, where the two play mind games with each other, and motives are examined and carefully evaluated.  You couldn’t ask for two better actors to carry this relationship out either.

This is a much welcomed break in a string of films that feels, even if unjustly so, like lowest common denominator filmmaking for De Niro.  Mr. Norton is also wandering dangerously in the same mundane territory.  While Stone’s two main actors do a commendable job, the story the film tells takes an additional dimension when Jack’s wife Madylyn, an always marvelous Francis Conroy (you may remember her as the matriarch of the HBO series Six Feet Under), and Stone’s wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) enter the picture.  The professional (if arson can be considered a profession) lives portrayed by these two men, give way to a window into their personal lives, giving them an interesting depth.

While the story is a bit familiar, no one can say we haven’t seen the same set up before, it immediately becomes apparent both Curran, and writer Angus MacLachlan (his talent was proven in 2005′s Junebug) are more interested in playing with movie conventions, rather than giving into them.  Each character begins down a path that you certainly wouldn’t predict.  Most interesting is Stone, who may be experiencing some sort of mental or nervous breakdown, while coincidentally dedicating himself to an unnamed, but bizarre religion.  More subtly, Madylyn is experiencing an awakening of her own, one that you’ll want to keep an eye on, I won’t give away any spoilers.  Lucetta follows a disappointingly orthodox path of a spiraling psychosexual freak out.

Attention must be directed to an outstanding score, as Manohla Dargis put it, “spooky sound work (percussive thumping, droning near-silence) and wrapped in razor wire”. While neither Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead nor Jon Brion (Synedoche, New York, Magnolia) are credited by the film, Curran told Record Online how both Greenwood and Brion sent him hundreds of clips of music examples, several of which were integrated into the film’s sound. It’s haunting music that will, without effort, stick with you.

While I welcome filmmakers that play with my expectations, when they do, I expect to receive returns on my investments.  This is where Curran and MacLachlan fall flat.  While the conclusion of the film is mildly unpredictable, it’s not that interesting.  It doesn’t make me ask any questions, it doesn’t even invite post-screening discussion.  In this aspect, Stone is a disappointment.

2.5 out of 4 stars

The story follows Irish, New York drug dealer Monty (the impeccable Edward Norton).  He’s not big time, but not necessarily small time either.  The police got him on enough stuff to put him away for seven years, and it’s only his first offense.  He’s already been sentenced and has one day to say goodbye to his recovering alkie father (the tremendous Brian Cox), see his sleazy best friend and Wall Street financier (Barry Pepper in, perhaps, the only performance I’ve ever seen him where I wasn’t annoyed), and to see his not so sleazy other best friend, a Jewish teacher at a fancy prep school (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has some controlled, but inappropriate tendencies towards one of his more flashy students (a completely terrific Anna Paquin).  Also along for the right is his freakishly attractive girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), whom he suspects may have turned him into the police.  The prospect of this tortures him.

Every single actor is as aggressive and fantastic as Lee is in his direction.  Norton is an acting tour de force.  His five minute monologue insulting every race, organization and institution that make up the five boroughs is some of the best acting I’ve seen, and the material is no less moving.  The story is adapted by David Benioff, and it’s based on the novel he wrote.  It’s a story of human triumph, the ability to manage, even in the face of tremendous odds against you.  The film was released in 2002, and Lee tastefully used the newly shattered New York skyline, the devastation of Ground Zero to compare and contrast Monty’s newly shattered life, and to insinuate the hope for Monty if he doesn’t give up on himself.  It’s truly haunting,  The score is intense, dramatic, and keeps a dark sense of doom in the back of your mind.  At first viewing, I thought the score was a little much, but later I realized nothing could be more fitting as you’re heading to a tough, maximum security in prison… for seven years.  Lee used some really fascinating camera work to build up this piece as more than just a brilliant narrative, but something that’s enchanting to look at.  This is one of those rare cinematic pieces that, despite it’s few flaws, will remain with you for a long, long time to come.

4 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 77% – Cream of the Crop: 76%

25th Hour

“There’s this rumor going around that [Pride and Glory has been bumped] because it’s a mess or it’s a really bad film,” he began. “I feel the need to kind of speak up, not from my own end but genuinely for Gavin O’Connor because he wrote and directed it. It’s just a really really strong piece, but I think New Line lost the bollocks on The Golden Compass…and they literally don’t have enough money to market things.“

All that means to me is New Line didn’t see this piece as something worth investing in.  Still, my blind loyalty to Ed Norton convinced me to check it out.  I’m glad I did.

The story centers around an Irish American family that’s generations deep in police honor.  The patriarch of the family, Francis Sr. (Jon Voight), is a drunk, steeped in the tradition of protecting his own, no matter the cost.  His two sons, Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerick) and Ray (Edward Norton), followed in their father’s footsteps and joined the force.  The two have a brother-in-law, also a cop, named Jimmy (Colin Farrell).  Ray is coaxed out of semi-retirement working on missing persons cases (he quit real field work after taking a bullet in the face during a questionable police shootout) to work on a task force investigating the murder of four police officers.  What he uncovers, is the shady dealings of several cops on the force, including his brother-in-law Jimmy.  Things become complicated when Jimmy kills a drug dealer with Ray’s gun, and it’s on Ray to keep up the blue wall of silence.

The movie is tough as shit.  Unfortunately, tough as shit doesn’t exactly mean great film (remember Running Scared with Paul Walker?) Colin Farrell is terrifying in his role as the cop who thinks he’s God.  The script allows him to be scarier than the drug dealers he tortures and kills.  At one point, he comes inches away from holding a hot iron to an infants face to get information out it’s father.  The film is co-written and directed by Gavin O’Connor, who knows his stuff…at least when it comes to Irish police officers in the slums of New York.  The feel was as authentic as Scorsese’s The Departed.  However, while it felt real, it wasn’t as tight as it should have been. The script was cliched to a fault, and there’s not much in it that really sets it apart from other crime genre flicks.  Norton was solid, like usual, but didn’t seem to give it that extra umph he’s shown in other films.  Parts of the plot become boring, and repetitive, but for the most part O’Connor keeps the attention of his audience.  The plot jumps the shark in the last 10 minutes of the film when Ray and Jimmy come head to head in a confusing display of machismo.  Despite some deficiencies, this is a compelling crime drama that compels some interesting introspection.

2.5 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 36% – Cream of the Crop: 33%

It wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t terrific, it just was. The film surpassed my expectations of Leterrier’s talent (yes, I was expecting to see something closer to ‘The Transporter 3′). But the script failed to meet my expectations of Edward Norton’s talents. It’s annoying to wonder how much of the film was lost in the Norton/Leterrier/Marvel fued. Could it have been the movie that you can see just below the superficial surface of the movie? Leterrier says yes, and that the full movie will be available on the DVD.

Now I don’t want to be too hard on the Hulk. It was great watching Norton perform. His knowing smile that seems to suggest he enjoys losing himself in the monster is wickedly entertaining. His co-star Liv Tyler is kind of a drag though. I’m not sure how she keeps getting this roles. Did you see ‘The Strangers?’ Bleh. At least they had some sexual chemistry. Which contributes to the funniest scene in the movie, as Bruce Banner is starting to get it on but has to stop mid-hump for fear of getting ‘too excited.’

All things considered, I was entertained. I’m not a comic book fan, I had no previous allegience to the Hulk (only to Norton), but still, the chase scenes, the explosions, all good enough to watch at least once.

2 out of 4 stars