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All Movie Info
Starring:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Arija Bareikis, Paul Butler, Leonardo Cimino, Jack Fitz, Edwin Freeman, Rosemary Harris, Sakina Jaffrey, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Adrian Martinez, Michael McGovern, Brian F. O'Byrne, Aleksa Palladino, Amy Ryan, Michael Shannon, Lee Wilkof, Nicholas E. Pagani, John Farrer, Jordan Gelber, Chris Chalk, Zeke Hawkins, Jaclynn Tiffany Brown, Dianne Zaremba, Guy A. Fortt, Megan Byrne, Mary DeBellis, Denis McKeown, Keith Davis, Alex Emanuel, Natalie Gold, Damon Gupton, Blaine Horton, Sarah Livingston, Kevin P. McCarthy, Meredith Patterson, Alice Spivak, Linda Thompson Williams, Denis McKeown, Jim Lavin
Directed By:
Sidney Lumet
Written By:
Kelly Masterson
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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
November 18th, 2007
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Sidney Lumet is indeed a national treasure. He is perhaps the oldest of living great American directors, at 83, Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg are all younger than he, and they may have a more consistently strong portfolio, but over the course of 50 years, Lumet has given us a rather amazing variety of terrific films, from 12 Angry Men to Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict, and Network. He has been nominated for 5 Oscars, but hasn't won any (except for a Lifetime Achievement award), which Scorsese could have understood prior to The Departed. Lumet makes outstanding court and crime dramas, and most of the aforementioned movies could fall into one of those categories. Two of them made a star out of Al Pacino, another features one of Paul Newman's best performances. 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' is Lumet's best film in ages, or perhaps the better part of two decades, and it might earn him a sixth Oscar nomination, and maybe even a win. This is a movie about what is initially devised as the perfect crime; no one will get hurt, one side will get richer, and the other side won't lose anything, but it goes so terribly wrong so quickly and unexpectedly, that we are as shocked by the outcome as the characters themselves.
Andy (Hoffman) has a very good job, one that pays well, yet he has a drug habit that puts him into a bit of a financial crisis, so he goes to his brother, Hank (Hawke), to tell him of a plan he has to make a lot of money. The plan involves robbing a jewelry store owned by their parents, Charles (Finney) and Nanette (Harris). Hank is also in desperate need of cash, and agrees to go along with it. No guns are to be used. Everything will happen early in the morning, when no one is around. The store and its entire inventory are covered by insurance, so Charles and Nannette will be reimbursed for their losses. Hank brings along a partner, named Bobby (Brian F O'Byrne), who has not been properly informed, and has a real firearm, and it turns out that Nanette does, as well. The tragedy that unfolds from this setup is devastating; its effects resonate long after this opening event is over.
Charles is heartbroken, and begins to examine the case for himself. Andy and Hank are equally upset, grief-stricken and remorseful. Marisa Tomei is Andy's wife Gina, who eventually has an affair with Hank, adding yet another complication. The emotional intensity is complimented by superbly intelligent and insightful writing (that weaves effortlessly through varying perspectives), and, of course, fantastic performances, from both Hoffman and Hawke, who look nothing alike, but are convincing as brothers simply in the way they communicate with one another. Finney and Tomei are excellent in crucial supporting roles. The family dynamic only makes things more riveting, and it is explored with more depth than it was in We Own the Night, which also dealt with the relationship between two men and their father, against the backdrop of a crime drama.
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