Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray] | List Price: $35.98
Discount Price: $14.33
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Brand: Image Entertainment
Binding: Blu-ray
Release Date: 2008-04-15
One of the Best Films of 2007 [Posted on 2008-10-26]
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake
Director Sidney Lumet's BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD was one of the very best pictures of 2007, and it's a shame that it was ignored during the Academy Awards. Certainly the script, direction and performances were much better than in many of the films that were honored.
A melodrama in the best sense of the word, the New York-based film, written by Kelly Masterson, tells of two brothers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) who are desperate for money. They decide to solve their problem by holding up a suburban mom-and-pop jewelry store, an easy target.
The problem is that the store owners are the boys' parents (Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris) and, during the robbery, actually carried out by Hawke's buddy, something goes terribly wrong.
Now, the brothers have to not only cover their tracks because Finney is determined to find the guilty party, but they must also deal with a blackmailer.
The climax is both shocking and violent, as everything for the brothers seems to spin out of control.
Marisa Tomei co-stars as Hoffman's wife, who just happens to be having an affair with Hawke, and Amy Ryan plays Ethan's former spouse.
You don't want to miss this one.
© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)
Lumet: Still The Master Filmmaker [Posted on 2008-10-27]
When I heard aging director Sidney Lumet was attached to BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD, I was dubious about its success. Not because Lumet has any stains on his record! Quite the contrary. With films like 12 Angry Men, Serpico, and Fail Safe to his astounding credit, he is well-known as a vintage director of classic melodramas. But his age (83 at the time this film was made) could've been a factor; old-style filmmaker does old-style job again. But any fears were quickly whisked away once I started watching his latest film.
Not surprisingly, when Hollywood heard the name "Lumet" and that it was involved with a new movie, several bigshots jumped at the chance to be in it. And this was a very good thing. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) heads this all-star melodrama (yes, it's still a melodrama and that's a VERY good thing) alongside Ethan Hawke (Lord of War) and the incredibly sexy Marisa Tomei (Wild Hogs). Forming a kind of triumvirate of misfits, Lumet takes the audience on a wild ride both in terms of how the timing of the film is laid out (jumping from date to date and perspective to perspective) and what each of them is up to. Hoffman turns in another excellent performance as Andy, a man with financial and drug issues and married to the beautiful Gina (Tomei). Gina is lost amidst her husband's distant actions and shut-in existence and finds solace with his brother Hank (Hawke).
Hank is also having financial woes and isn't the brightest bulb in the package. And when his brother Andy (Hoffman) comes to him with a plan to hold up a jewelry store in order to solve their problems, Andy is hesitantly for it ...until he learns Andy's plan is to rob their own parents' store. Store owner and parents Charles (Albert Finney, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride) and Nanette (Rosemary Harris, Spider-Man 3) are completely oblivious to their son's plan and when Hank hires a man to help him rob the store, things go horribly wrong.
It is to Lumet's credit that he spearheads the issues each character deals with and does so without extending it/them into boredom; an area that has plagued many past melodramas. Sexy, dangerous, and frighteningly realistic, Lumet delivers a film that picks up tension as the characters spiral out of control. Even Charles (Finney) isn't immune to the pressures of these horrific events, finding himself making a decision no father should ever be in the position of making.
Again, it is to Lumet's credit that he's not afraid to move with the times and show us he knows what works for audiences. The opening sex sequence will certainly grab many viewers. Lumet also isn't afraid to use new technology in his filming; he's all digital. This speaks to his understanding of how well he sees filmmaking as an art, which includes how light falls onto film versus into the digital 1s and 0s.
Not awesome... [Posted on 2008-10-31]
Wasn't the best movie, wasn't aweful. It was very long, didn't think it would end. Not sure if i would recommend it to people unless they are movie buffs. I guess I had bigger expectations.
Great [Posted on 2008-11-20]
This is a really good movie, you have to pay attention and stay in the room the whole movie...Or pause it if you have you leave the room...
A Descent into Evil [Posted on 2008-11-23]
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a dark tale of human greed and deceit. What starts out as a thoroughly corrupted crime against parents descends into something even worse. There is a horrible viscous circle at work which no one is able to right.
Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) convinces his younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke), to rob their parents' jewellery store in the suburbs of New York. The parents are not meant to be working on the day of the heist and, although they may be disturbed by the crime, insurance will cover their losses. The brothers each have their own financial difficulties and the robbery will relieve them of their troubles.
The crime, however, goes terribly wrong. Their mother is unexpectedly working on the day and dies of a gun shot wound. The trail left by the brothers slowly unravels and the especially conniving Andy is seen for being the epitome of evil. Needless to say, the brothers are found out. In a particularly bleak scene, Andy gets his comeuppance. At least some justice seems to be at work in a roundabout way.
The performances of both Hoffman and Hawke are good. They are plausible in their roles. Their father, played by Albert Finney is also well managed. His grief at times is palpable.
Overall, the film is good without being great. It is worth the effort but is unlikely to win a swag of awards.
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