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Plot:
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelery store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife hurtling towards...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 28, 2008OK Now this was a cool flick,Good cast,Hoffman and Hawke were great.You have the time jump sequences kind of like memento.It all gets tied up very nicely in the end.Jeez just shows you gotta keep those dirty little family secrets quiet.See this!
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MCT:August 28, 2008finney and hoffman's acting was fantastic, hawke and tomei seemed really awkward and somewhat miscast. i also have mixed feelings about the time jumps, while i think it was a good idea i felt some of the transitions were too choppy. nonetheless i enjoyed the final scene, cold and unflinching until the end.
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MCT:August 18, 2008
From a storytelling perspective, it is extremely well done, it manages to link the stories together rather nicely while exploring family dysfunction.
From a entertainment persepective, it is where things get a little dry. Fantastic performances, strong characters and a handful of intense scenes are mixed in with neglected characters and prolonged and sometimes unnecessary subplots which lengthen the film dramatically which creates a lull during the middle of the film.
While performances are all exceptional, i was disappointed with Marissa Tomei's role (and her also). Not only was her character extremely underused, Tomei lacked the emotion that was needed to pull off the part she seemed to just dawdle through.
Overall, it's an interesting take on a story rich with strong character development, which is highlighted by it's storytelling method. -
MCT:August 18, 2008
Plot: Needing extra cash, two brothers conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed
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MCT:August 12, 2008Philip Seymour Hoffman... Andy Hanson
Ethan Hawke... Hank Hanson
Albert Finney... Charles Hanson
Marisa Tomei... Gina Hanson
Aleksa Palladino... Chris Lasorda
Michael Shannon... Dex
Amy Ryan... Martha Hanson
Sarah Livingston... Danielle Hanson
Brian F. O'Byrne... Bobby Lasorda (as Br?an F. O'Byrne)
Rosemary Harris... Nanette Hanson
Blaine Horton... Justin
Arija Bareikis... Katherine
Leonardo Cimino... William
Lee Wilkof... Jake
Damon Gupton... Doctor -
MCT:August 5, 2008
What would you do to get money? How desperate would you get? Would you consider putting the lives of innocent people, your friends, even your family in jeopardy? How far would you go to get yourself out of trouble? One of the best films I've ever seen. Even with the constant flashbacks that I normally hate, but not in this case. Amazing acting. Especially from Albert Finney as the grief stricken father and Phillip Syemour Hoffman as the son. The story is dark the whole way through. There is nothing cheerful about this movie. Which is one of the reasons I love it. Most movies these days feel the need to make you feel happy and good when you leave the theatre. But like the mist, this will suck you dry.
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MCT:August 3, 2008didn't like this at all..it starts out with an interesting story with cool scenes and good actors, but later it just turned out boring. the thrilling and action level is lame and not much is happening.. I think this is a movie you all can skip..
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MCT:August 2, 2008
A stylish film with a tragic story about greed, dishonesty, betrayal and moral corruption.
Another Sidney Lumet masterpiece that blew my mind with great performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman (one if not the best actor of today), Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei. Other actors supported the film with stellar performances as well, but these three are worth an extra mention.
The extremely well written script has basically a simple plot with a non-linear storyline that is easy to follow. It feels, looks and sounds authentic. The robbery scene, from which the story starts to develop, is more realistic than most of the basic robberies we've seen.
Lumet's perfect directing develops the characters during the film and creates great scenes that have a lot of tension in them. If this great filmmaker doesn't get a nominee at the next Oscars, I'll... I don't know what I'll do but you get my point!
This filmyear has given us several present and future masterpieces (In Bruges...) and this is one of them. Highly recommended to all film enthusiasts! -
MCT:July 27, 2008Extremely well made crime drama from veteran Sidney Lumet. Philip Seymour Hoffman leads an equally stellar cast in this riveting film that really surprised me. I'm not sure what I expected, but it far exceeded whatever expectations I had. Highly recommended.
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MCT:July 26, 2008A well acted but sterile character study from Lumet. Hoffman and Hawke are 2 money needy and greedy brothers who are polar opposites. One being the cold, calculating and manipulative brother and the other being the weak, moral addled and sympathetic sibling. Yet both are unredeemable characters in this crime drama. A heist gone wrong story turns into a "let's all unravel, now because things got fucked up" morality play. The only redeeming role belongs to the father of these 2 gems, played with aplomb by Albert Finney, who got a big cheer from me in the end. And Hawke's character is never fully resolved by the finale. Tomei as Hoffman's wife and Hawke's fuck buddy, is eye candy who just appears in every scene distracting everyone with her perky, nipples - at -attention, tits from her performance which was just barely yawn stifling. An average film all around with performances and direction that overpowers the story which suffers from way too many POV flashbacks to remain entirely interesting.
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MCT:July 26, 2008
The plot reminds me of "Dog Day Afternoon", but it is more sad and explosively dark. Ethan Hawke is a little bit overreacted here......
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MCT:July 21, 2008
Excellent!! It's almost a Shakespearian tragedy. With great acting and great storyline!. Recommended!!
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MCT:July 21, 2008
A gripping, tough to watch, and heart breaking drama about two brother who plan to steal from thier parent's jewelry store, but lets just say, things don't go according to plan. Directed by the over 85 yearold director, Sidney Lumet, who has directed some of my favorites Dog Day Afternoon and Twelve Angry Men.
DVD. -
MCT:July 20, 2008
...a fast paced mind blowing thriller...one of the best ensemble cast ever perfected on screen...Hoffman is the one who is truly devilishly good...Hawke gives the best pefrormence of his career...Finney oozes greatness like everything he does...this is all rounded out by the phenomenal directing of award deserving director Sidney Lumet...a must see...
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MCT:July 12, 2008Tries so hard to be impressive & shocking and forgets about everything else, Logical flaws, Unrealistic & unbelievable incidents,... that are just there to make the tragedy happen, It also has narrative problems & unnecessary scenes imo that makes the movie somehow uninteresting at the end and the ending is really bad , & about the cast although I like Hawke But I think he overacts in some moments of the movie, Anayway I liked some scenes specially the ones related to its family drama
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MCT:July 12, 2008Marisa Tomei looks great and is the highlight of the movie. The story is good but predictable and the characters fall flat. Good if you want to see Marisa topless.
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MCT:July 11, 2008
Great cast and good acting !! There are so many levels of hell that the two brothers transcend, that it isn't funny. Just goes to show what greed and vengence will make you do.
Check it out !! -
MCT:July 11, 2008
This is a great, great movie. Superb acting and great situations and interaction from the mains. It is brutal and upfront. See it, see it, see it.
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MCT:July 11, 2008
"It's very impressive that a director can start making movies in the late 1950s - with the classic 12 Angry Man, as his very first I might add, - and 50 years on can make something as high in quality as Before The Devil Knows You?re Dead. It's a true testament for sticking to something you're good at for as long as you can and Lumet's dedication and experience serves him extremely well."
Full Review Here -
MCT:July 9, 2008
Well, if you've ever wanted to see Marissa Tomei naked, this is the movie for you. She does give a good performance, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is great as usual, as Ethan Hawke is awful as usual. The structure of the movie leaves a lot to be desired, as it keeps rewinding and showing the same events from different points of view over and over. It would have worked perfectly in a shorter film, but here, it provides a drawn-out, tedious feeling. There are many reasons to watch this, but don't expect the greatest heist movie ever made.
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MCT:July 9, 2008
This one definitely isn't a feel good story! One decision sets off a tragic chain of events. As the plot unfolds, things go from bad to worse. While the movie wasn't exactly revolutionary, it was well worth the watch. I found that I was particularly fond of the disjointed timeline. It kept me on my toes as I gradually linked pieces together. Terrific casting and superb acting made the film feel quite realistic.
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MCT:July 8, 2008
This film was about money and how two brothers planned to get some to help them through life, but their plan goes completely to hell, causing every character to live through his own hell.
This movie had some clever messages and showed emotions of the characters well, but overall I didn't really enjoy this movie. The whole movie was just about suffering, jumping around from character to character and day to day. It tried to be clever, but instead turned out to be dragging out the plot. It picked up a little bit in the last 20-25 minutes, but still - just an average movie overall. -
MCT:July 7, 2008
Directed by: Sidney Lumet.
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei.
<< "The thing about real estate accounting is that you can, you can add down the page or across the page and everything works out. Everyday, everything adds up. The...the total is always the sum of its parts. It's, uh...clean. It's clear. Neat, absolute, but my life, it doesn't add up. It, uh...nothing connects to anything else. It's, uh...I'm not, I'm not the sum of my parts. All my parts don't add up to one...to one 'me', I guess." >>
The story follows two brothers who organize a robbery of there parents jewelery store. Everything is set nicely, they are to rob it when there parents are not working, to ensure they don't get hurt, the insurance will cover it all and they will get the money that they so badly need. But when everything goes wrong, it sends everyone of them into a chain of events that none of them can change.
What can I say? I knew the film was going to be worthy of a watch yet I still held off a bit from seeing it...how stupid of me.
The screenplay from first timer Kelly Masterson is simply outstanding. It acts more as a character drama rather then a full on crime thriller and it works better that way. The films pacing might have some people lost in the dust and it jumps a fair bit around in time from character to character, but without that, the film wouldn't feel as complete as it really is. Each character is given special treatment and such a brilliant study on the events that occur, it contains so many layers I really don't think I can tap them all.
Sidney Lumet really is back at the top of his game here. I could go on about the overall craftsmanship of the film making seeing as I can now see it from that angle (being a filmmaker myself), from the incredible continuity and setups, but its really how Sidney directs that people should worry about. It deft, its thoughtful and its damn near flawless. He still has it in him to create something great and thats what you get.
The acting really is superb and exactly what is needed for such characters. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives his best performance since his Oscar win. His character has different raging sides of emotions and Philip deftly portrays this hateful man perfectly. Ethan Hawke sits nicely in the background showing that he can do good without stepping forward, knowing he isn't as great as the leads around him, but he does incredibly well. Marisa Tomei still looks amazing for her age but it is strange to see her going topless in her recent films, she may be a little underused here, but we know that she can act around her body...and Albert Finney is simply fantastic. Heartbreaking, intense and simply gripping, he gives the best performance I have ever seen from him.
There is so much to this film and still by the end of it, I felt fully satisfied, its a rare film that you can see as 'complete'. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is masterful work, with a stunning, character driven screenplay from first timer Kelly Masterson, deft and near flawless direction from Sidney Lumet and some outstanding performances from the main leads, especially Albert Finney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Quite the masterpiece indeed and up there with Lumet's best. -
MCT:July 6, 2008
frst sceen is great rest of it tries toob poetic i guess ending up beeing too long the actors did it great thou
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Comments
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perfecthaloposted 118 days ago -
Well written and acted movie about 2 greedy brothers stealing from their family's business. A movie with a lot of flashbacks that gives you the fit the pieces of the puzzle kind of movie. Also this was the perfect example why these parents should have given their boys up for adoption when they were born. I think the ending could have been more explanatory regarding one of the characters.
posted 130 days ago -
