'25th Hour' hits home

Spike Lee's latest joint, "25th Hour," went relatively ignored upon release, which is sad, as it's an amazing film that easily exceeds "Do the Right Thing" (his previous best).\n"25th Hour" tells the tale of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a recently convicted drug dealer enjoying his final day of freedom prior to serving a seven-year prison sentence. During this day, he will bid farewell to his good-natured girlfriend, Naturelle (an extremely hot Rosario Dawson), his sweet, sober barkeep of a father (Brian Cox), his childhood chums, Jacob and Frank (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper) and Doyle, the beloved mutt he once rescued.\nControversially shrouded by the memory of Sept. 11 (Frank's apartment overlooks Ground Zero, Monty curses Osama bin Laden during an obscenity-laced tirade against the cultural melting pot that is New York City), "25th Hour" is timely, thought-provoking and heart-wrenching. This mark of quality extends throughout the film -- Pepper and Cox nearly steal the show from a very adept Norton, the script by David Benioff (based on his book) is stellar and the stunning cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto ("Amores Perros") makes for one of Lee's handsomest flicks to date.\nWhile "25th Hour" is great, its DVD leaves a tad to be desired. First off, the theatrical trailer's not included, and that's a real shame as it's a doozy. Most of the deleted scenes are crap, aside from one entitled "Sway," which would've been Lee's most visually dynamic scene in the film. Otherwise, it's a pretty solid disc boasting two strong commentaries by Lee and Benioff, the cool albeit short featurette, "The Evolution of An American Filmmaker" and a sterling THX certified sound and picture transfer. Ignore the backlash, "25th Hour" is one of last year's best flicks and should be sought out now that it's available on DVD.