Monty Brogan (Norton) has twenty-four hours before he goes to prison for a seven year term - time he spends with his friends (Pepper and Hoffman), his father (Cox) and his girlfriend (Dawson), and thinking about his past as a drug dealer, his future as a prisoner, and about who might have dobbed him in to the DEA.

Set in post-September 11 New York, Spike Lee's film works as a character study of an immature man coming to terms with his own responsibility for his actions. But, if you want to think of it another way, it also holds as a metaphor for a fractured country, which has some culpability in its disasters.

The performances are all exceptional, Norton in particular giving a bravura performance. For anyone who believes that the best movies are about capturing mood and character, The 25th Hour should provide a memorable evening's viewing