Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
No one was supposed to get hurt.
A family faces the worst enemy of all - itself. Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an overextended broker who lures his younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) into a larcenous scheme: the pair will rob a suburban mom-and-pop jewelry store that appears to be the quintessential easy target. The problem is, the store owners are Andy and Hank’s actual mom and pop and, when the seemingly perfect crime goes awry, the damage lands right at their doorstep.
Member Reviews
Dark... - Sheenie
This is a dark movie, not one to watch with the kids in the room. Told backwards, it's the story of a simple plan gone terribly wrong, and trying to clean up one mess creates a dozen others. Phillip Seymour Hoffman doesn't disappoint, as usual. It is both suspenseful and intriguing, and will keep you hanging on until the end.Very well done - Poet
I found some of the reviews of this film to be quite harsh and for no reasons. I guess this is one of those that some people just don't get or figure out.
Sure, the pace is slow and the storytelling is not linear. I like that. I don't feel the need to consume my movies like fast food.
The acting in this one is great. Hoffman, Hawke et Finney are awesome in their respective roles. They make it all so believable.
The story is compelling. I admit, it took me a little while to get into it. But, when the movie grabbed me, it pulled me in and never let go.
Highly recommended to those with an open mind.Riveting. - Port_Moresby
Any movie that opens with a shot of Philip Seymour Hoffman naked is the work of a nasty sadist who is out to punish his audience. Give this one time, however, and you’ll realize that the opening is just setting the scene for a gritty and unpleasant heist film in which the crime is only the beginning of the ugly deeds that are committed. Hoffman and Ethan Hawke play brothers who decide to rob their parents’ little jewelry store in an effort to ease their own dire financial situations. They figure it’s an easy set-up, what with their extensive knowledge of the store and their confidence that their parents will be unharmed and compensated by insurance. When did anything involving a robbery ever go smoothly, however? A routine twist on a routine story has its moments of originality, but what really makes this one zing is the execution: Lumet goes to his raggedy seventies roots of photographically unflashy New York movies (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) and applies his spartan techniques here. There are no fancy plays on editing or lighting, just a group of people whose rotting cores speak for themselves. Albert Finney holds very strong ground as the father of the unfortunate brothers, while Marisa Tomei does a fantastic job with her few moments as Hoffman’s “I’m kinda cheap but I’ve got a bleeding heart and a mind of steel” wife.
Member Reviews
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Dark... - Sheenie
This is a dark movie, not one to watch with the kids in the room. Told backwards, it's the story of a simple plan gone terribly wrong, and trying to clean up one mess creates a dozen others. Phillip Seymour Hoffman doesn't disappoint, as usual. It is both ...Very well done - Poet
I found some of the reviews of this film to be quite harsh and for no reasons. I guess this is one of those that some people just don't get or figure out.
Sure, the pace is slow and the storytelling is not linear. I like that. I don't feel the need ...Riveting. - Port_Moresby
Any movie that opens with a shot of Philip Seymour Hoffman naked is the work of a nasty sadist who is out to punish his audience. Give this one time, however, and you’ll realize that the opening is just setting the scene for a gritty and unpleasant heist ...