Before the Devil
Knows You're Dead
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Starring:
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Andy
Ethan Hawke - Hank
Albert Finney - Charles
Marisa Tomei - Gina
Rosemary Harris - Nanette
Amy Ryan - Martha
Before you see Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, you should ask yourself the following question: How much human weakness and disgusting behavior can I stomach before I have to vomit? If you can take two hours of it, director Sidney Lumet's strong but brutal film will reward you with an original and overwhelming climax.
Andy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) are brothers caught in a downward spiral before the film even begins. Hank's alimony payments make his poverty well known but Andy, who is addicted to coke and heroin, tries to hide his failing fortunes behind the façade of being a successful real estate developer. It's up to you to decide which brother is worse off. Hank's wife and daughter think he's a loser but Andy's wife Gina (Marisa Tomei) is having an affair with Hank.
The brothers plan a heist and like all heists planned by weak, contemptible souls, it goes horribly wrong. How wrong? Well, their mother ends up getting killed due to her sons' incompetence. This sends their father (Albert Finney) on the warpath to solve who was behind her murder. It's a pretty low set of circumstances and it only goes downhill from there.
The question at the center of the film is what could cause a family that's frayed at the edges to completely unravel? The situations would be completely ludicrous if Hoffman and Finney didn't end up selling the hell out of it. As for Hawke, the guy is a living 1990s time-capsule and always looks like he should be clad in flannel. His portrayal of a bonafide loser pales in comparison to the depth, power, and nuance seen in the performances of his co-stars. Because of their incredible work, the film earns its tremendous, shocking, and vicious ending. Whether or not that's an ending you want to see, well, you already know the answer.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
10.20.07