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| Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray] | ![Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BII5fewBL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Sidney Lumet
Actors: Rosemary Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
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Avg. Customer Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 5613
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 117
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 91258
UPC: 014381491258
EAN: 0014381491258
ASIN: B00112S8S2
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: FACTORY SEALED SHIPS IMMEDIATELY
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Amazon.com
Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents' jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman's steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Image Ent. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray] Sidney Lumets Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead isan exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding asbrothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffmans steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from differentvantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasivework by an old master.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 85 more reviews...
 A Family Implosion April 20, 2008
198 out of 221 found this review helpful
The full title of this film is 'May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead', a rewording of the old Irish toast 'May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you're dead.' First time screenwriter Kelly Masterson (with some modifications by director Sidney Lumet) has concocted a melodrama that explores just how fragmented a family can become when external forces drive the members to unthinkable extremes. In this film the viewer is allowed to witness the gradual but nearly complete implosion of a family by a much used but, here, very sensible manipulation of the flashback/flash forward technique of storytelling. By repeatedly offering the differing vantages of each of the characters about the central incidents that drive this rather harrowing tale, we see all the motivations of the players in this case of a robbery gone very wrong.
Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a wealthy executive, married to an emotionally needy Gina (Marisa Tomei), and addicted to an expensive drug habit. His life is beginning to crumble and he needs money. Andy's ne're-do-well younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a life in ruins - he is divorced from his shrewish wife Martha (Amy Ryan), is behind in alimony and child support, and has borrowed all he can from his friends, and he needs money. Andy proposes a low-key robbery of a small mall mom-and-pop jewelry store that promises safe, quick cash for both. The glitch is that the jewelry story belongs to the men's parents - Charles (Albert Finney) and Nanette (Rosemary Harris). Andy advances Hank some cash and wrangles an agreement that Hank will do the actual robbery, but though Hank agrees to the 'fail-safe' plan, he hires a friend to take on the actual job while Hank plans to be the driver of the getaway car. The robbery is horribly botched when Nanette, filing in for the regular clerk, shoots the robber and is herself shot in the mess. The disaster unveils many secrets about the fragile relationships of the family and when Nanette dies, Charles and Andy and Hank (and their respective partners) are driven to disastrous ends with surprises at every turn.
Each of the actors in this strong but emotionally acrid film gives superb performances, and while we have come to expect that from Hoffman, Hawke, Tomei, Finney, Ryan, and Harris, it is the wise hand of direction from Sidney Lumet that make this film so unforgettably powerful. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is a film that allows some bravura performances that demand our respect, a film that reminds us how fragile many families can be. Grady Harp, April 08
Lumet Creates Another Masterful Film January 9, 2008
33 out of 49 found this review helpful
Sidney Lumet is a master filmmaker. I don't think anyone could dispute that. Even with his occasional missteps ("Find Me Guilty!" starring Vin Diesel) he has created more memorable films than many younger filmmakers could ever hope to include on a resume.
The director returns to form with "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead", an independently made film featuring exceptional performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and even Marisa Tomei. This powerful film had me riveted to my seat, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen for even a moment.
Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) meets his brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) at a local bar. Andy and Hank work in the same real estate office and share a lot as brothers, including their personal and financial problems. Because of this, Andy knows Hank has a lot of financial problems; a divorcee, the younger brother struggles to meet the alimony and child support and lives in a dump, sleeping on a sofa bed. But Andy has problems of his own; he tries to give his wife (Marisa Tomei) the finer things in life, things he can't afford, he has fallen into quite a bit of debt as well. He has the perfect plan. There is a small jewelry store in a strip mall in the suburbs. They are both intimately familiar with the store and everything they steal would be insured. It would be a victimless crime. Hank soon realizes Andy is talking about the store their parents (Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) own. He doesn't want to do it. But the financial pressures force him to reconsider and he enlists the aid of a shady friend, Bobby (Brian F. O'Byrne) to help him rob the store. When they arrive, Hank gets a queasy stomach as they watch Hank's dad (Finney) drive up and drop off his mom (Harris); Hank almost decides against it, his mom wasn't supposed to be there. But Bobby is going through with it anyway and decides to go in alone. Then everything goes wrong.
Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Kelly Masterson, "Devil" is a film concentrating on the story and the performances with little in the way of flash or flourish to stand in the way of the characters and plot. The one concession to modern filmmaking comes when Lumet wants to shift the focus of the story. When the film begins, we watch the three days before the store robbery from Hank's point of view. When the story reaches a pivotal point, we shift to four days before the store robbery, but this time, from Andy's point of view. So we see many of the same things twice, but with different events leading up to the same conversations or meetings. In one story, we might watch a character listen to his phone ring and when he finally decides to pick it up, there is no one on the line. Later, we see the other brother making that call, and why. As the story continues, we soon start to watch Charles' (Finney) point of view. It is an interesting method to show us all of the different thought processes and the consequences of various actions, not just on one character but on everyone involved in the story. Sure, this is the type of device made famous by Tarantino, but it is not really copies here so much as it is given new life.
The key to this film's success if that we believe everything we see. Two brothers decide to rob their parent's business. Even if they believe it will be a victimless crime, what sort of thought process leads to this moment? As "Devil" begins, we see evidence of the financial cesspool each of the brothers is in, and they are in deep, each for different reasons and in different ways. But we believe Hank and Andy can barely breathe due to the anxiety surrounding their every moment. It makes sense each would welcome any opportunity to keep their heads above water. So when Andy suggests the plan, we can see why he would sink to such a level. Lumet convinces us of their need to get money. During the film, we see evidence of the other influences and problems in their lives. We have to believe there is more than just a financial strain, there has to be a missing mental connection.
Naturally, with an actor the caliber of Hoffman, he shows this in spades. As the story progresses, he reveals the many layers of Andy's character. All of the bad decisions he has made and continues to make and he has made many. It is a wonder Andy is able to fool anyone, but he succeeds. On all levels, at first glance, Andy appears to be a completely normal person, and everyone is fooled. But the botched robbery proves to be the unraveling point and he desperately tries to keep everything going, to maintain his image, hoping, looking for an escape.
Hoffman does an outstanding job making Andy come alive. He has to make Andy's attempts to appear normal and respectable believable, yet reveal little bits of this to us as he does so. Then, as everything begins to unravel, he shows us how hard Andy continues to try to make everything work. And below all of this, a seething rage threatens to break out, yet another facet of his character he has to control, yet subtly reveal to us.
Ethan Hawke plays Hank, the younger brother and the more established screw-up. He seems to have never made a good decision in his life, and these mistakes have continued to compound throughout the years, causing him more and more problems. As Hank's problems continue to grow, his brother is aware of the trouble he is in and comes up with the plan for both of them to gain some independence.
But Hank is the type of guy who always has cold feet and finds problems with everything. Even after he agrees to go ahead with the plan to rob their parents' jewelry store, he starts to change his mind and Bobby has to go ahead and commit the robbery without him, leaving him alone in the car outside. Hank can't even complete this action, something so reprehensible no son should even contemplate in the first place, but since he has decided to go ahead with the scheme, you would expect him to be able to follow through.
Throughout the film, we see illustration after illustration of Hank's inability to cope with anything and everything. It is amazing he is even able to function at the level he does. So when he leaves the operation in Bobby's hands, it doesn't really come as a surprise. And the consequences of these actions, which are very bad, also make sense, given what we know about Hawke's character.
Hawke does a great job of making Hank desperate in his attempts to control the universe around him. He is late with alimony and child support so decides to lash out against his ex-wife when she continues to nag him for the money. As soon as his daughter enters the picture, he turns on the charm and sweetness. As soon as she is gone, he hurls a lame rebuttal at his ex-wife. There, he showed her. It is as convincingly lame as it sounds and adds a lot to his portrayal of this loser. He has no power or control over his life and tries to prove it every minute.
When I first saw the trailer for "Devil", it ends by noting the Academy Award Hoffman won, the nomination Hawke earned, the Academy Award Tomei won and the nomination Finney has earned, in that order. What is wrong with this picture? Marisa Tomei has won an Academy Award and Albert Finney hasn't? Tomei has contributed some interesting performances to a number of interesting independent films since her Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress in "My Cousin Vinny", but she hasn't done anything Oscar worthy. Ever. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated example of Oscar mistakes.
In "Devil", she plays Gina, Andy's (Hoffman) wife. As the film opens, she and Andy are in Brazil, enjoying a vacation. "What if we could stay here forever?" Andy asks. Gina doesn't take him seriously, but she should because he is about to set into motion the plan at the center of the story. As the situation spirals out of control, she plays the supportive spouse, trying to help the family through this crisis. But she also plays an unknowing role in the plan.
It is a good performance from Tomei. As Gina begins to realize the problems her husband is facing, she tries to get him to talk but he only says "I'll take care of it" or grunts in response. She is used to this and makes no effort to hide the problems she and her husband are having, engaging in questionable activities of her own. But even she comes to a point where she can't handle it anymore.
Albert Finney plays Charles, the patriarch of the family and he is largely quiet through the entire story. This makes sense, given the circumstances. But as he struggles with how to cope with the situation he has been placed in, we see various bursts of rage, anger, remorse, confusion and shock. Amazingly, Finney portrays these with very little outward movement. A mere glance is used to convey one feeling. A small gesture another. Charles is in shock because of what has recently happened to his family. As he begins to realize what is going on, in the background, what set all of these events into motion, he moves with his mouth hanging open, determined to find out all of the details, yet dumbfounded at the same time. It is a performance only a master of the craft could make work. Finney makes it work.
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a fantastic film, an in-depth look at the actions and consequences of two royally screwed-up brothers. It is the type of film only a master director could make work. Sidney Lumet makes it work.
 Descent into dysfunction December 25, 2007
19 out of 23 found this review helpful
At the age of 83, director Sidney Lumet proves he still has plenty of juice. And once again, Philip Seymour Hoffman proves he is one of the finest American actors working today. This powerful one-two punch nails this movie into your head; and that's further guaranteed by, a) great acting by the rest of the cast, including Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and, in a bravura performance, Albert Finney, and b) a shockingly dark portrait of a family so dysfunctional it almost makes the Texas Chainsaw Massacre folks look tame. Well, almost.
Two brothers, played by Hawke and Hoffman, work in the same real estate company, but are hugely different. Hoffman's the bigshot; Hawke's not. Hawke's divorced; Hoffman's married to Tomei and the opening graphic scene shows just how married the two of them are. Hoffman's got problems and so does Hawke, but they're different problems, although both have their root in money.
Money drives this sucker and leads to greed, murder, despair, fear, and retribution. This is one of the darkest of noir tales in a long while; it's a noir family drama that's so unrelenting your chin drops further and further as the movie progresses and by the whopper of a tragic ending, it's definitely on the sidewalk.
But this is what makes it so compelling. It's astonishingly powerful; fundamentally, you can't believe how things can spiral so much out of control the way they do in this movie, but they do, they definitely do.
Hawke and Hoffman both needing money leads to a plan to get said money, and, of course--this being a noir film at its blackest heart--to get it completely illegally. Watch this movie to see how noir is REALLY done today, in the 21st century. As another critic pointed out, it's not so much that these guys are criminals, but that they are essentially average guys with some smarts who are in real jams and who take what looks like an easy way out to remove those jams...meaning that these guys could be you or me.
This is a real kick in the teeth movie. Serious punch, powerful acting, a director with real chops at the age of 83, and one you won't forget for a LONG time.
See it.
You have about 30 Minutes in Heaven Before the Devil knows you're Dead! September 16, 2008
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
Sidney Lumet, the acclaimed director responsible for "Serpico" and "12 Angry Men" returns with another thrilling slice of human drama in "BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD". The man definitely knows how to make a melodrama seem thrilling and immersive. I'm not going to argue with him, Lumet insists that this film is a melodrama rather than a crime thriller. Melodramas is one of the most underestimated genres in film. Whatever genre it may be under, the script by Kelly Masterson comes to life with Lumet's touch. It is a surprisingly powerful thriller (ahem), I mean melodrama.
Two brothers; Hank (Ethan Hawke) and Andy Hanson(Philip Seymour Hoffman) have their own share of problems. Hank is way behind in child support payments and Andy is having some marital issues with Gina (Marisa Tomei), and his miss-dealings at work is in danger of becoming uncovered. They hatch up a supposed "perfect" crime to rob their parent's (played by Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) small jewelry store to escape their issues. Unexpectedly, the robbery goes awry, and the Hanson brothers find themselves in a deeper predicament than ever before.
According to legendary director Sidney Lumet, a melodrama is a film whereas the characters drive the plot rather than the screenplay. The film was originally meant to be a crime caper-thriller but with Lumet's very steady hand, it becomes more a slice of life or rather a very black view of a dysfunctional family. The film begins with a scene in Rio with Andy and Gina making love; yes, there is graphic sex and nudity but the way Lumet handles the scene is quite ingenious. The scene serves up a lot of character development for our main protagonist Andy. Gina (Marisa Tomei) is also having an affair with her husband's brother Hank, that also serves up a lot of "amped" up intensity in their relationship. The screenplay by Masterson originally wrote the two as only friends and thank goodness for Lumet's insistence that they be written in as brothers. However dark and bleak the film's premise is, it succeeds in serving up the needed credibility and believability in its characters and the situation they are in.
The film's first half is in a fragmented style and it works. The film deals with Hank, then Andy and then Hank again. The sequences occur 3-4 days before the robbery and gives definite focus as to why and the how the two brothers could come up with a devilish scheme such as this. At first, I had some difficulty believing that two off springs could carry out a crime such as this, but as the film progresses, the character-driven plot is given room to convince. Andy is an individual who just cannot appreciate what he has and Hank is well, as their dad says, "like a baby". The film has some very noteworthy scenes before and after robbery that gives the plot a lot of emotion.
Of course, for an emotionally-charged melodrama, the cast has to perform almost remarkably, and they do. Academy award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman actually carries most of the film, but it would be unfair to say that the film is a success because of his superb performance. Ethan Hawke also does a convincing job as the nervous, "loser" brother who is also a father in a bind. Academy award winner Marisa Tomei's character, Gina may be a little underdeveloped, but the actress does maximize whatever she had to work with. Tomei plays her character with a sort of a mild femme fatale in the beginning, Marisa is so sexy and her facial expressions can work the camera when it comes to emotion. Albert Finney plays the father determined to find those behind the robbery, and his mannerisms and actions display pure emotional pain.
Sidney Lumet definitely knows how to bring the best out of his cast and this film is another testament to his directorial skills. The script may not offer that many surprises, (you can tell from a mile away that the film will be bleak and black) and the climax may feel a bit perfunctory and opens up a few unanswered questions but the structure and the direction is solid enough to immerse the audience. For me, at least, the ending gives an exclamation point and serves up some details left for our imagination and understanding.
"Before the Devil knows your dead" makes for a very gripping and bleak melodrama and it comes with a highly recommended rating from me. The characters do come alive and the film's plot is interesting enough to keep you glued to your seat. You are about to be taken for a ride...
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [4- Stars]
Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave, When First We Practice To Deceive May 17, 2008
18 out of 24 found this review helpful
"Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is such a superb crime melodrama that I almost want to leave it at that. To just stop writing right now and advise you to go out and see it as soon as you can. I so much want to avoid revealing plot points that I don't even want to risk my usual strategy of oblique hints. You deserve to walk into this one cold." Roger Ebert
Sidney Lumet at the age of 83 has again directed a film for the ages. A film of a family falling down, round and apart. Philip Seymour Hoffman is amazing as the older brother in the family. He works for a successful real estate office in NYC. His younger bro, Ethan Hawke shows us how very great an actor he can be, and works for the same agency. The Greek Tragedy begins when a plan to rob a suburban jewelry store goes all wrong. The mom and pop of this store are in reality Andy and Hank's parents. Would you, could you rob your own family? You could if you needed money badly enough it seems. Andy and Hank are in great need of money. Hoffman as Andy, has a habit that leads him to illegal drugs. Hank Hanson, Ethan Hawke, has a snarly ex-wife who wants her child support and cares naught how Hank gets the money. As Sir Francis Scott has said 'Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive'.
Albert Finney plays Andy and Hank's dad. His fine acting lends this film the reality of the quintessential dysfunctional family. His actions, so akin to a Greek Tragedy seal the fate of this film. The two sons who have always pandered for best loved son, can now give it up. The family relationships are not explained and it is up to us to get to know them. Mom, Rosemary Harris, has a small part but is the agent of change in this film. Marisa Tomei the wife of Andy and lover of Hank, ah, we are beginning to see the light here, plays the tragically ignored wife.
"My grandfather, whose background was not so different from Mr. Lumet's, was dismissive of movies that seemed overly dark or despairing. "There wasn't a single decent human being in the whole movie," he used to complain. He might not have found any in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," but he would also have recognized the humanism that saves this harsh tale from nihilism. The screen may be full of losers, liars, killers and thieves, but behind the camera is a mensch." A O Scott
Messy, emotional, melodramatic, film noir is my beat. This film has it all.
Highly Recommended prisrob 05-17-08
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