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.
...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...
I watched this movie last night and was blown away! Amazing screenwriting and brilliant direction from Lumet,as well as excellent editing. A masterpiece.
I've always been somewhat neutral about Ethan Hawke but he demonstrated a range of ability that gives me a whole new respect for his acting. Hoffman also was excellent-but I knew he would be LOL.
Tries 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
Marisa 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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 . The story is dark the whole way through. There is nothing cheerful about this movie.
Gloomy look at the struggle to live righteously and the traps we get ourselves into. Hoffman is excellent as always but Hawke's character didn't ring true.
Excellent crime drama certain to put Lumet back on the map. Intriguing characters and a plot that hits on many level; a spiraling downward tale that is extremely intense and depressing while showing a truly dysfunctional family drama. Though I am not crazy about the editing style chosen, the characters and story are amazing enough to overcome that flaw easily. I put this alongside A Simple Plan with both stories showing when sins eventually become true evil making this a fantastic morality tales as well. So much to like about this one and great to see one of the masters returning to form.
I was very impressed by Ethan Hawke's performance in this movie. The plot didn't always keep entertained, and the time jumping started to slow the film down. But it is story about two brothers who are pretty low and do something to get-rich-quick that goes horribly wrong and ends up brining them even lower. The first scene of the movie not only captures your attention but it also sets up the feel for the rest of the movie.
grim and very much demented, this film is an iconoclast akin to its director, lumet's style of theatre does not integrate well in such an urbanized piece of cinema, good social commentary but there are shortfalls
Wow! This movie starts out strong and is an emotional roller coaster throughout the whole ride. The story is awesome, the characterization is well done and the acting is wonderful. I absolutely love the transitions and aspect of time and would love to see another movie like this one. Highly recommended.
This was an alright film. I expected a lot more from this considering the awesome cast. The time line of the movie hurt more than it helped and seem to be there just to be there. Ultimately, a solid movie, but forgettable.
it pulls 2 stars because of the solid acting and great cast, but this was one of the most dissapointing films ive seen years. i had high hopes and much anticipation, but it was crap really. the story was completely morally and intellectually bankrupt and there wasnt a single likeable character in the entire film. the film felt sort of trashy and i couldnt wait for it to end when i was only about half way through.
MCT:July 21, 2008
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