MovieChat Forums > 25th Hour (2003) Discussion > Movies with these semi ambiguous endings...

Movies with these semi ambiguous endings...

posted 9 years ago by Vicenzo-VV
14 replies | jump to latest

See the problem is -- there's never a universal truth. You can say it's ridiculous to believe he really would just run off and never look back, never go to prison. Wou that be wishful thinking, as if that's a happy ending? That he never takes responsibility for his actions and just walks away from the consequences. That's not happy. On the other hand -- if Spike Lee wants us to believe he went to prison after everything his father says -- why doesn't he just shows us him being incarcerated?

[–] kmags84 9 years ago

The saying goes something like, "A guilty man can sleep in Prison because he knows he did something wrong and his conscience is clean... An innocent man CANT sleep because he cant stop wondering how he got there and how he'll get out"... Im paraphrasing but That IS Marty at the end of this film and the message Spike portrayed. It's not ambiguous. Ambiguous is the end of The Shining. Ambiguous is the end of No Country For Old Men... This is straightforward

[–] kmags84 9 years ago

*Monty... Damn Spell check

[–] RelpScooby 8 years ago

See I was enjoying your posts but you F'd UP BIGGGGGGGGG time !!!

I wrote in my other posts about "over-rated movies". You just happen to put up the title of 1 thee most annoying stupid movies I've ever been tortured to see - No Country For Old Farts and believe me...I like Tommy Lee Jones. Great actor...my aunt met him and when she did, I didn't think much of him back then. But that movie was overblown like it was great and I must be in the minority for despising it.

Oh well.

[–] MovieMinx67 8 years ago

I found the ending emotionally satisfying. Did he or didn't he? Sorry, but I appreciate directors who end films like this. I don't need to be spoon-fed. But I wonder how many people think Monty ran? I like to think he did, but I'm not sure. Anybody else?

[–] sabar-1 8 years ago

I think he was enjoying hearing his dad talk, but I think he went to prison.

🐈 Rachel

[–] exaybachay84 8 years ago

There was no ambiguous ending, be it semi or otherwise. He went to prison.

Do you have any tobacco?

[–] Vicenzo-VV 8 years ago

If this is the edited version of your reply, you gotta wonder how worthless the original was.

"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man..."

[–] exaybachay84 8 years ago

I've just replaced "jail" with "prison" after learning they are separate things.

And there is nothing worthless in posting a true statement. You can check Spike Lee's commentary, you can read other posts on this board and you can read a book this movie was based on. All of those three activities would lead you to discovery of the fact that there was no ambiguous ending and Monty went straight to prison.

You are welcome.

Do you have any tobacco?

[–] Vicenzo-VV 8 years ago

If the director felt he had to clarify in his commentary that means the ending was ambiguous. If the book gives information that Spike Lee purposefully left out of his movie, again, that is testiment to the ambiguous nature of the movie.

You kind of proved your own point to be wrong there.

"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man..."

[–] exaybachay84 8 years ago

Spike Lee did not left it out. It's there. And it's pretty obvious when you watch it carefully. Others have already pointed that out.

Also:

Ambiguous

adjective
1.
open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal:
an ambiguous answer.
2.
Linguistics. (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity; having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.
3.
of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify:
a rock of ambiguous character.
4.
lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct:
an ambiguous shape; an ambiguous future.

It's not open to several possible meanings/interpretations, it's not doubtful or difficult to comprehend (I'm having some doubts here reading your posts, haha!) and it's certainly not obscure - because the director and the writer specifically described the ending as a very definite one. As in, you know, Monty went to prison.

Do you have any tobacco?

[–] Vicenzo-VV 8 years ago

My interpretation is that just when the credits roll, Monty's dad makes a U-turn and heads to Paradise instead of prison.

"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man..."

[–] exaybachay84 8 years ago

Wouldn't that be contradictory to the movie's overall message? The whole point, I think, was in Monty understanding his mistakes and facing consequences of his previous actions and decisions. Throughout the movie, he is gradually accepting his fate because he basically put himself in this position. It would seem inconsistent if he chose to escape.

Do you have any tobacco?

[–] Vicenzo-VV 8 years ago

I was just *beep* with you thesaurus boy. If you think there is only one answer or truth, discussing any topic is futile anyway.

"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man..."

[–] exaybachay84 8 years ago

Well, I hope you've used some protection...

But seriously, a happy end would seem out of place in comparison to grim atmosphere of the movie.

And trust me, I'm all for discussion and ambiguous endings when there is one ("Take Shelter" comes to mind). But "25th Hour" is a different case since the meaning of the ending was specifically stated by the authors. That leaves little to dispute over.

Do you have any tobacco?