Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Written by: Kelly Masterson
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris

Sometimes a movie with a simple concept can be so much more than you expect, and with its all-star cast and legendary director, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead was hailed by many critics as one of the best movies of 2008. While it probably wouldn’t have made my own top 10, I do think it’s one of the best movies that no one saw last year, and now that it’s available on DVD you have no excuse for missing it!

First time screenwriter Kelly Masterson has drawn from his experience as a playwright to pen a tragic heist flick where everything goes wrong. Director Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon) dials it up a notch to the point where the anxiety and tension is almost unbearable and the plot twists are unveiled in creative ways. Two brothers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) are in desperate need of money and decide to knock off their parents’ jewelry store in order to solve their problems. They figure that insurance will cover the theft, and no one will get hurt… but when Hank brings along a friend to help with the actual robbery, two people get shot and they just keep digging themselves into a deeper and deeper hole.

Philip Seymour Hoffman has played so many sleazebags over the years that he can now do it in his sleep, and yet still he always manages to bring a slightly different angle to each role. In this movie, his character is the impetus for the whole thing; he is a drug addict that is stealing money from work, and the dispicable idea of stealing from his parents is his idea. He is clearly a selfish dirtbag throughout the movie, and Hoffman plays it like only he can.

Ethan Hawke, on the other hand, is a divorced father paying child support, who is easily persuaded by his brother to participate in the heist. He is the one we most identify with as he has some inkling of morality, but he just can’t seem to make any good decisions. The strongest performance of all may be from Albert Finney, who plays their grief-stricken father. Did I mention that you get to see Marisa Tomei naked a few times? Well, there’s that too.

The story is told in fragments that jump back and forth in time, switching to different perspectives. It’s a highly effective way to flesh out each character, and yet it never becomes overly complex or confusing. At its core, the movie is concerned with crafting compelling characters and then testing how they react under pressure. The answer, sadly, is not well.

It’s pretty awesome that 83 year old Sidney Lumet can still direct a movie of this calibre at his age, and even though it’s essentially just a genre flick, his deft touch ensures that Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a solid thriller that’s a cut above the rest. The DVD includes a behind the scenes making of featurette and an audio commentary track with Lumet, Hoffman and Hawke. — Sean

SCORE: 3.5 out of 4 stars