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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | 
 enlarge | Director: Sidney Lumet
Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei
Studio: Egami
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  101 reviews
Sales Rank: 333
Genre: Drama
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 117 Minutes
ASIN: B0019KBHKM
Theatrical Release Date: October 26, 2007
Release Date: September 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
Master filmmaker Sidney Lumet (The Verdict, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico) scores big with this absorbing suspense thriller. Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, an overextended payroll executive 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 real mom and pop, and when the seemingly perfect crime goes awry, the damage sends them hurtling toward a shattering climax. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 96 more reviews...
(3.5 STARS) "No One Was Supposed to Get Hurt": Absorbing (Though Depressing) Crime Drama January 4, 2009
Tsuyoshi
No one gets hurt. That was what Hank Hanson was told and he needs money desperately. But of course, someone gets hurt. Actually, very seriously. What was thought a very easy way of getting money turns out a big mistake, and as the melodramatic story unfolds, things get out of control leading to more disastrous consequences.
I know my summery is vague, but I believe you should enjoy this kind of first-rate thriller without knowing anything about it. I can promise "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" has terrific acting of two leads Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers. I never was a big fan of Ethan Hawke, but I was quite impressed with his superb performance here. As to Philip Seymour Hoffman, he proved his enormous acting talent again. Some may complain (understandably) that they don't look like brothers, but maybe that is the point. The fact doesn't change that the scenes their characters share are strong and dramatic.
Sidney Lumet, acclaimed director of "12 Angry Men" "Serpico" "Dog Day Afternoon" and many other masterpieces, has come back with this highly emotional crime drama. Frankly this is a bit of surprise because he hasn't made a great film since the 1980s when he did "The Verdict" and "Running on Empty." (And he shouldn't have made "Gloria"). I also admit "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," engrossing as it is, is not his best. The now familiar non-linear narrative method (with flashbacks) starts to look repetitious in the second half of the story, and some characters (especially female ones) are slightly flat.
You may not the tone of the film. You may think it is too depressing. This is not "Pulp Fiction" or "The Bank Job" (both my favorite films). "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" may make you think, but not smile. Still its tension and great acting is undeniable, to which my four stars go.
beforethe devil knows your dead December 17, 2008
John Brooks (Cheney, Wa. United States)
it is a lot twisted thought but great acting so I would say check it out
 Engrossing movie... December 16, 2008
Janet Camacho (Parlin, NJ)
The acting was superb. Ethan Hawke, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who never dissapoints, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney. All big names, and great performances. The movie was engrossing and ultimately kind of tragic. Loved it.
Not every story has a happy ending December 2, 2008
Roller Girl (NY, NY)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this was the best movie I had seen in years. The acting was very good and yes its a depressing story, but that should not mean its a bad movie (not sure why those people who rated this movie as poor did so just because it was disturbing and depressing). If you need a happy ending and hate flashbacks and forward in movies so much that you can't enjoy such films, well then, this movie isn't for you.
 Try Something New, Hollywood! December 1, 2008
Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
All this fancy flip-flopping fore and aft in time, showing every scene twice, might save money on script but it couldn't save a scrawny turkey like "Before the Box Office Knows You're Dead" on the day after Thanksgiving. It's been done, dudes! Get a new gimmick!
I hope they paid Philip Seymour Hoffman a bundle for this humiliation. He's a great actor but his freckled b_tt does nothing for me.
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