Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
(C or 2/4 stars)
Disaster strikes an entire family in 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' is a corrosive crime drama directed by Sidney Lumet. Needing extra $$, 2 brothers, Andy & Hank (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke) conspire to pull off the perfect crime ... rob their parents' jewelry store. By wearing masks & using a toy gun, there should be no problem, right? But when a last minute accomplice brings a real gun, the lives of all those involved will be changed forever. The concept of the film is intriguing. The acting is quite stellar. But there's no reason for it to have been so clinically depressing; so dehumanizing that you can't feel for anyone.
Andy is unhappily married to Gina (Marisa Tomei). He 'appears' to be a successful real estate broker. But we discover that most of his $$ goes to an expensive drug habit (& liaisons with a male prostitute). Hank (a Nervous Nelly) owes several months of child support to his ex (Amy Ryan). And so, Andy lures Hank into this quintessentially foolproof plan. Their loving parents, Charles & Nanette (Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris) wouldn't even suffer, as the $600,000 stash (they'd rob) is fully insured. But the plans goes awry when Nanette springs a surprise gun. People die, incriminating evidence is left behind, the consciences of the 2 brothers are stretched thin, and the presence of Gina, Andy's wife/Hank's secret lover, isn't making things easier for anybody.
How these 2 men cope with ruining their lives (& those around them) is what the film's all about. Fathers, sons, brothers, wives, & 'jealousy' all crashes against each other. Everybody starts losing their minds. This is heavy stuff, folks. The movie does well to establish the family dynamics of everyone involved. Things aren't always as they seem. After we see the robbery in the very beginning, most of the film is revealed in flashbacks. I like that we get to see various repeated scenes from different point of views. But in the end, the jarring flashbacks were not cutting edge, they were just annoying. A LOT annoyed me in this movie. Everything from the heist-gone-wrong, to the unintended consequences, to the family secrets, to the melodramatic last 15 minutes, is a maddening downer.
It's just a heartless, UGLY movie. I was intermittently riveted 'during' the film (wondering how everything would play out), but there's nothing that sustains after it's over ... except an essence of near hatred. 'Before the Devil ...' will be too dark & dour for most viewers (or monotone, ask the snorers sitting next to me). What's worse, there's absolutely no one to sympathize with; no one is admirable. Without that component, the prospects of leaving the theater feeling exhilarated are completely gone. There are plot contrivances, there are lapses in logic, but they didn't bother me as much as the existential, humorless story. This script was desperate for some humor, or something to relieve the 118 min. gloom. There needed to be some spark of life to alleviate some of the tension.
PS Hoffman makes Andy interesting; he has some strong scenes. Hank is a complicated guy; but Ethan Hawke's portrayal (while good) is one-dimensional. He's a wreck, and that's it. Albert Finney is great as the man driven to discover who brought such tragedy upon his family. And Marisa Tomei is the film's greatest asset. You know, I can see how some could find the stifling atmosphere to be a turn on. But I can't recommend it. All the characters do are make bad choices; all of which encapsulates this vile, dreary film. It distressed me. Perhaps others will revel in the misery.
Andy is unhappily married to Gina (Marisa Tomei). He 'appears' to be a successful real estate broker. But we discover that most of his $$ goes to an expensive drug habit (& liaisons with a male prostitute). Hank (a Nervous Nelly) owes several months of child support to his ex (Amy Ryan). And so, Andy lures Hank into this quintessentially foolproof plan. Their loving parents, Charles & Nanette (Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris) wouldn't even suffer, as the $600,000 stash (they'd rob) is fully insured. But the plans goes awry when Nanette springs a surprise gun. People die, incriminating evidence is left behind, the consciences of the 2 brothers are stretched thin, and the presence of Gina, Andy's wife/Hank's secret lover, isn't making things easier for anybody.
How these 2 men cope with ruining their lives (& those around them) is what the film's all about. Fathers, sons, brothers, wives, & 'jealousy' all crashes against each other. Everybody starts losing their minds. This is heavy stuff, folks. The movie does well to establish the family dynamics of everyone involved. Things aren't always as they seem. After we see the robbery in the very beginning, most of the film is revealed in flashbacks. I like that we get to see various repeated scenes from different point of views. But in the end, the jarring flashbacks were not cutting edge, they were just annoying. A LOT annoyed me in this movie. Everything from the heist-gone-wrong, to the unintended consequences, to the family secrets, to the melodramatic last 15 minutes, is a maddening downer.
It's just a heartless, UGLY movie. I was intermittently riveted 'during' the film (wondering how everything would play out), but there's nothing that sustains after it's over ... except an essence of near hatred. 'Before the Devil ...' will be too dark & dour for most viewers (or monotone, ask the snorers sitting next to me). What's worse, there's absolutely no one to sympathize with; no one is admirable. Without that component, the prospects of leaving the theater feeling exhilarated are completely gone. There are plot contrivances, there are lapses in logic, but they didn't bother me as much as the existential, humorless story. This script was desperate for some humor, or something to relieve the 118 min. gloom. There needed to be some spark of life to alleviate some of the tension.
PS Hoffman makes Andy interesting; he has some strong scenes. Hank is a complicated guy; but Ethan Hawke's portrayal (while good) is one-dimensional. He's a wreck, and that's it. Albert Finney is great as the man driven to discover who brought such tragedy upon his family. And Marisa Tomei is the film's greatest asset. You know, I can see how some could find the stifling atmosphere to be a turn on. But I can't recommend it. All the characters do are make bad choices; all of which encapsulates this vile, dreary film. It distressed me. Perhaps others will revel in the misery.