by MATTHEW HAYS

The Christmas crunch creates a precarious situation for film critics. Due to the Oscar rush and to the fact that people like to go to movies over the holidays, a whole whack of films get dumped into cinemas. After the holiday break, a number have invariably fallen through the cracks, making mere blurb status at the back of the section.

Two films that have already opened but warrant a serious red-flagging are here. First is 25th Hour, Spike Lee’s latest film. Oddly enough, the film has Lee pulling away from racial politics, proving beyond any doubt that this man is an incredibly talented filmmaker, regardless of his chosen topic. The film is based on the story of a drug dealer (Ed Norton), who’s busted by the cops early in the film for having a couch full of illegal substances. The film leaps about in time as we learn that Norton is contemplating his final day before going to the slammer for seven years (the prime years of his life). He meets up with friends, his father and his girlfriend (who many suspect ratted him out to the police). This is arguably Lee’s most affecting film since Do the Right Thing; it’s also an incredible showcase for the talents of Norton, who plays the role of a drug dealer in a way that makes the character remarkably and surprisingly sympathetic. The Academy has a nasty way of overlooking Lee. He really deserves a best-director nod for this entry.

The other film to be placed on your to-see list is Narc, and as with 25th Hour, this movie has a highly intelligent screenplay backed up by superb performances. Jason Patric is an undercover cop, haunted by a shootout with a junkie that went terribly wrong. Sent in to uncover who killed another undercover cop, he’s teamed up with Ray Liotta, who plays a hardened, cynical officer who seems to live to beat the living crap out of junkies. Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the filmmaker should be praised to the hilt for using his camera stylishly while never resorting to empty MTV mimicry. Narc feels decidedly raw, and has been drawing comparisons to Serpico for its unblinking look at cops and the compromises they’re often forced to make.

The other thing that the low-budget Narc represents is a welcome opportunity for Liotta, who’s such a fine actor. He bulked up for the role, adding 20 pounds to his frame to play the bloated cop. His films have varied so severely over the past few years, from the unwatchable (Corrina, Corrina) to the campy (I loved his brain-picking scene in Hannibal, but it was hardly a brilliant role). With Narc, Liotta gets what he deserves, probably his greatest role since Goodfellas. :

25th Hour and Narc are now playing

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