Dvd
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Features a spine tingling cast; Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, a frustrated, drug-abusing stockbroker who is unable to please his wife Gina – played by Marisa Tomei. Gina’s lover is Andy’s brother; the broke Hank – played by Ethan Hawk. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris, the brother’s parents, run a jewelry store.
The crime, a heist from their parents own store, is Andy’s idea and he convinces the timid Hank it’s the only way out of their problems.
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Amy Ryan, Rosemary Harris
Directed by Sidney Lumet ('12 Angry Men', 'Long Day's Journey Into Night', 'Serpico', 'Murder on the Orient Express', 'Dog Day Afternoon', 'Network', 'Q&A')
Written by Kelly Masterson
Festivals & Awards Best Ensemble Cast; Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2007, Gotham Awards 2007
Thriller, Crime, Drama | 1hr 57mins | Rated (R16) | Violence, Offensive Language, Drug Use & Sex Scenes | Origin: USA, UK
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The Talk
27 votes / No comments
Flicks review
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4
Despite its plain face, the modest Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead still manages to be tense, brutal and shocking. The pervasive depressing tone combines with the slow pace to create a fairly sombre night at the cinema, but it’s a quality night at the cinema nonetheless.
Veteran director Sydney Lumet, now an old man, guides a handful of great actors. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney all turn in strong performances. They’re scumbags, all of them. Watching them interact brings to mind the tragedy of Macbeth, or Hamlet. It’s not as grand, but it’s a family tragedy populated with awful, intriguing people.
And despite his age, Lumet isn’t going all coy on us. He’s not afraid to open with a full-on sex scene with a sweaty, fat Hoffman. He assaults us with violent, erratic, desperate people, and surprises us with the utterly tragic dysfunctionality of the family.
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The people's reviews
5 reviews
Press Reviews
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BBC
4
Judged against Lumet's masterpieces this is middling and he engages in some tricksy editing and a overly complicated and finally irritating flashback/forward structure. But the great strength of Before The Devil... is in its finely calibrated pair of central performances.
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Empire Magazine [UK]
4
Bleak, brutal and quite possibly brilliant, this is a triumphant return to form for Lumet and further proof that Hoffman is on an incredible winning streak.
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Hollywood Reporter
Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small.
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NZ Herlad [Peter Calder]
3
Cleverly conceived thriller overplays its tricksy narrative but the acting is great.
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Rolling Stone [USA]
A dynamite film that ranks with the year's best.
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The Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
4
Lumet's slick, non-linear yet efficient storytelling draws you into the family drama masquerading as a crime thriller before you even realise you care what happens to these awful people. The stellar cast lifts this intense drama to fever pitch even as you take in the oddly incongruent tragicomic edge.
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Variety [USA]
The wrenching tale has something for anyone who likes their melodrama spiked with palpable tension and genuine suspense.
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