25th Hour
This movie is about the last day of a drug dealer before he starts serving his 7-year sentence, and it does a good job of conveying the hopeless inevitability felt by the main character and his friends: he has run out of options. Edward Norton continues to be one of my favorite actors, and he gives another very strong performance in this Spike Lee Joint. Another standout performance is Brian Cox as the father. Spike Lee really lets the emotional component to the story take center stage in a way that quickens your breath sometimes -- complete with a Spike Lee Monologue (tm) that effectively captures the post-9/11 frustration and hate in the heart of this drug dealer that got greedy.