MovieChat Forums > 25th Hour (2003) Discussion > I'm sorry but why was I supposed to feel...

I'm sorry but why was I supposed to feel for him?

posted 8 years ago by candyshapedratpoison
5 replies | jump to latest

This movie had so much melodrama but the main character had everything coming. He seemed to have had a good education and could've had a nice life doing honest work, but he chose a life of dishonesty and immorality, got the money and the pretty girl because of it, even admitted to having been greedy, and then he had to deal with the consequences. And even after that he had his father, his girlfriend and his friends on his side. People at the club treated him like a goddamn king. Everything that happened to him was because of his choices. Even at the end when he got beat up, it's only because he asked his friend for it (and then he lied about it to his dad). So why am I supposed to root for him making it out west? You commit crimes, you go to jail, that's it.
(Not to mention that he's racist too, if we take his imagined bathroom rant at face value. Charming fellow.)

[–] MisterNick 8 years ago

Who said you were supposed to feel sorry for him? Your argument is even brought up by Frank (the Barry Pepper character).

[–] syhthpen-383-25380 7 years ago

Exactly! Mister Nick, you nailed it.

We weren't meant to feel sorry for him, or hope for a happy ending for him.

During the final scene where he is dreaming/fantasizing about "what could be", as told by his father, he is imagining a perfect ending to his life that he regrets messing up/wasting his potential.

The part in the fantasy where all of the people from his hate-filled rant were smiling and waving as he was leaving stood out to me.

I usually prefer happy endings, and happy fluffy movies in general, yet I enjoyed this film in part because I didn't sympathize with him, and did not anticipate a storybook prefect ending.

[–] irishwhip03 7 years ago

Sure he could've had a nice life. But chances are he wouldn't have had that apartment doing honest work. He might not have had the car. He definitely wouldn't have had the respect of everyone at the club.

If anything he got a raw deal because he was a casualty of the cops wanting to take down Nikoli. I wouldnt say anyone felt sorry for him though.

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 7 years ago

Racist? He was ranting at everyone including his family, friends, and himself. Sigh.

[–] redban (5264) 3 years ago

This was a big question that the movie wanted to push on the viewer .... are we supposed to sympathize with him?

You can certainly say that he deserves punishment for his crime, as you did.

But let's be honest, there are reasons against that notion.

Firstly - Monty is the protagonist in this film; the viewer identifies with him, feels attachment to him. Consequently, at the end, there is a reasonable sense that you'd like him to escape out west, just cause we feel he is our guy.

Secondly - the movie shows that he isn't all bad. He loves his dad, his friends, his girlfriends, and his dog; and all of them love him back. He still comes across as decent, his crime notwithstanding.

Thirdly -- the movie had the scene with Seymour Hoffman, the respectable college professor. Hoffman kisses the underage student, and he could have gone to jail for a longer time than Monty did. That Hoffman, the college professor, could commit such a bad action is the movie's argument that everyone, at some point, is capable of badness too. Is Monty really that much worse than most people?