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 enlarge | Director: Sidney Lumet
Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei
Studio: Egami
Category: Movie
Buy New: $14.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 1322
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 117
ASIN: B0016JODPW
Theatrical Release Date: October 26, 2007
Release Date: September 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 "May You Be In Heaven Half an Hour...Before the Devil Knows Your Dead" September 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Every once in awhile, you come apon a film, that just totally blows you away. It's just great from the very first scene to the last one.The only thing you can say to yourself as the end credits roll is "wow, thats' what great filmmaking and acting is all about". Such is the case with Director, Sidney Lumet's powerhouse of a melodrama, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead".
In this film we are introduced to two adult brothers, Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke). Both men are extremely different people, who lead very different life styles. But besides DNA, they do share one thing in common...money problems. At the start of the film, Andy pitches Hank an unusual ideal. He proposes, that they rob their own, elderly parents' small, suburban jewelry store. Andy assuredly presents this as a golden opportunity to solve their individual financial problems. An easy, victimless crime, that in the end will be covered by the insurance company. Hank is less sure, debating and arguing both the moral and practical implications of committing such an act. This sounds like a really bad, crack-pot ideal...right? You betcha. In the course of the actual robbery, everything that could go wrong, does go wrong with horrendous results.
But this is all just a jumping off point for the story. In a non-linear, "Pulp Fiction"-like fashion, we are slowly presented with both the events, that lead up to the robbery and the aftermath, in which both brothers are desperately trying to cover up their crime. The dominoing consequences end up tragically, devastating everyone involved and leads to the revelation of long buried, emotional family problems and dysfunction.
Director, Sidney Lumet, who's long and storied career includes many cinematic classics ("12 Angry men", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The Verdict", "Network") has made a truely great film. Maby, I'm committing a form of 'ageism', but I'm just amazed that a director, who's in his eighties is producing work, that has so much creativity, energy and vitality to it. My hat is off to him. Sidney Lumet is truely a consumate film artist.
The same can be said for the film's cast, which includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei. These four actors give just all around fantastic performances, that are at the top of their craft. In particular, I am quite impressed with Hoffman's turn as Andy. At first he presents us with a man, who seems composed, placid and assured in what he is doing. But as things start to fall apart, we watch this character just slowly implode into a mess of insecurities and dysfunction. Philip Seymour Hoffman may have won the Academy Award for "Capote", but this has to be one of his best performances ever.
The DVD features an interesting, short documentary on Sidney Lumet and the making of this film. Also included is a commentary track featuring Lumet, Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman. If your a fan of crime thrillers, good drama or just great filmmaking in general, then check out "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead". Excellent movie! Highly recommended!
 Excellent Downbeat Lumet Thriller September 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Before The Devil Knows Your Dead is a wonderfully acted, skillfully directed thriller that is not the kind of film to see where you're looking for a happy, upbeat story. This is the kind of film that once it gets started, you know that the main characters will not only never be the same, but will leave shattered lives if they live at all.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, a corporate executive who is married to Gina, a beautiful wife who is unhappy with their life, and who wants to move to Rio de Janeiro, where they just recently vacationed and reconnected with each other. Masking his emotions as well as a severe habit, Andy reaches a point of desperation where he seeks to be able take Gina away to Rio for good. This desperation point coincides with similar feelings within his brother Hank, played by Ethan Hawke. Hank is a weak and cowardly younger brother to Andy. Hank works at the same company as Andy, and is unable to pay child support to his ex-wife for his daughter. At the same time, Hank is having an affair with Gina.
Andy comes up with what he things is a perfect solution to both his and Hank's financial problems. They will setup a robbery of their parents jewelry shop. The merchandise is insured, will be replaced, and the robbery will occur when neither parent is at the store. No one will gethurt because no real weapons will be used. And both Andy and Hank financial problems will be solved.
Not surprisingly, their seemingly "harmless" plan goes horribly, horribly wrong. The repercussions reverberate throughout the lives of everyone involved. No one is unscathed, and that one bad decision leads to many more bad decisions.
Sidney Lumet's films have often dealt with complex characters who make poor choices that affect others. This comes in handy when dealing with two brothers who are so desperate to change their circumstances that they don't think about how their choices will affect others, or how badly they will miscalculate. The acting is top-notch, including Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris, who play the brothers' parents.
This film is a great character study of human nature, and a very good film, even if it is not always easy to watch.
 Disappointing, insistent, and hard to sit through August 22, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This was painful, and surprisingly so because it seems to have all the elements of being wonderful: an interesting plot, complex characters, clever director, and very talented actors. As soon as it was over, however, I was angry at having been duped into watching it. It (the film) is so aware of those surefire elements I named a moment ago, that it seemed fine with the fact that the scenes weren't going right, it wasn't believable, and it was hard for the audience to like or care about any of the characters. All in all, a waste of time and painfully so. I gave it two stars only because it was better than I would have done, were I a director.
 Disturbing. August 17, 2008
I knew this film would be dark, but I wasn't prepared for how dark it turned out to be. The tension never lets up for almost two hours.
great acting, great script, great pace August 15, 2008
This was noir-ish and enjoyable. The acting was superb and the story interesting. You will not regret watching this movie.
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