MovieMantz Review: ‘Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead’

Hell To Pay

by Scott Mantz

“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke
Directed by: Sidney Lumet

In the last month, two New York-based crime dramas — “We Own the Night” and “American Gangster” — opened to mostly positive reviews that drew comparisons to the classics directed by legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet.Now, on the 50th anniversary of his first film as a director with “12 Angry Men,” Lumet shows ‘em how it’s really supposed to be done with “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” a superbly-crafted morality play that stands alongside “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “The Verdict” as one of the finest films of his career.

Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”) plays Andy, an over-extended broker with a high-maintenance trophy wife and a nasty drug problem. Ethan Hawke plays Hank, his weaker younger brother who is three months behind in alimony payments. Andy lures Hank into a get-rich-quick scheme that hits a little too close to home — literally — since it involves robbing their parents’ jewelry store. It’s actually a brilliant plan. The brothers get the money, the parents get the insurance — but when it’s poorly executed in the worst possible way, it starts a chain reaction that leads to devastating consequences for the entire family.

It’s a lot more fun to watch a heist go wrong than it is to see it get pulled off with the greatest of ease. After all, if the gang from “Ocean’s Eleven” can rob three casinos without even breaking a sweat, then it’s hard to care about what’s at stake. That’s why that film will be seen as lightweight when compared to “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” which tightens the screws with each passing scene and reaches the level of a Shakespearean tragedy. It all starts when the robbery is botched, and the melodrama spirals out of control from there. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does — and then some.

But rather than tell the story in a straightforward manner, Lumet and screenwriter Kelly Masterson opt for a challenging, engaging, nonlinear approach that’s more comparable to the likes of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” Masterson’s terrific screenplay is smart, tight and energetic, but it’s also a perfect fit for Lumet, who once again tackles the character-driven themes of families in distress and capers gone awry that he previously explored in classics like “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “The Anderson Tapes” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

Lumet works with a fine cast of actors who are all at the top of their game. As the scheming brothers who take their sibling rivalry to a deadly level, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke give unforgettable performances that get more desperate until the film reaches its explosive conclusion. Marisa Tomei is equally effective as Hoffman’s sultry wife — probably the most sympathetic character in the movie (albeit barely, since she is having an affair with Hawke). And as the devastated father who will stop at nothing to find the mastermind who knocked off his store, Albert Finney lays it on the line with a captivating performance.

The crime depicted in the film may be horrible, but the bigger crime would be if “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” got lost in the shuffle of a crowded season that’s already full of awards contenders. That’s because it easily fits the bill as one of the year’s best movies, and it’s truly amazing that it was pulled off by Lumet, who’s more of a visionary at 83 than most directors less than half his age. And how does he still do it, even after all these years? Who knows, maybe he made a deal with the Devil.

VERDICT: SEE IT!