This Spike Lee joint came out way back in 2002. Lee did a brilliant job of working in the WTC attacks disaster into the fabric of the film. There is one very intricate scene which takes place with ground zero and the workers cleaning it up right across the street. This movie will be seen as a time capsule in generations to come.
The story was solid. It has all the elements: intrigue, suspense, double-cross, love story, taboo infatuations… you name it. At times the scene felt a little stale and rehearsed like an acted play. The scene in the bar between Naturelle (yes that’s her name) and Barry Pepper’s character had zero music in the background. But there were disco lights and it was supposed to be in a club. Strange choice. Other scenes felt authentic and brilliant. This scene felt 100% like it was on a sound stage.
The use of non-actors that every day guys like myself would recognize was awesome, Tony Siragusa and Patrice O’Neil specifically. Siragusa seemed very comfortable in front of the camera and I’m actually surprised you didn’t see more of him in subsequent films.
Edward Norton’s character has to turn himself into prison in the morning and his friends are having a going away get-together at a club. But, they have their own demons and are battling them along the way.
For me the stand-out actor was Barry Pepper. He was very good and charismatic. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was good too but he was just playing Phillip Seymour Hoffman it felt like. The voice over work by Brian Cox at the very end was brilliant as well.
There were definitely some cringe parts of the story and the movie ran long (2 hours 15 minutes). But for a low budget ($5M) drama set in aftermath 9/11 NY, this thing delivered wonderfully.
I give it 79/100 potatoes.
