Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

Sidney Lumet's latest is a real downer. P.S. Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are brothers, both losers, who decide a robbery will make their lives better. Marisa Tomei is Hoffman's wife who is also sleeping with Hawke. Albert Finney is the boys' father.

Great cast, as you can tell. We get to see a lot of Tomei's bosoms, and although one would think they looked better a few years ago, they still looked pretty good to this old geezer.

You'll leave the theater feeling drained. The movie is slow-moving and very depressing, but Hoffman, who I normally like, overdoes it here, investing every moment on screen with too much significance. I saw the ending coming a mile away.

An interesting movie but not a good one.

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

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An interesting movie but not a good one.

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Sounds like some people's lives I've witnessed. Maybe that's the point. Anyway, I won't be seeing this movie; I'll shoot myself in the foot instead. Thanks for the review.

-Zeno

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

I'm really looking forward to this one...Lumet is a film god.

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

Ugh. I really, really, really disliked this movie. You throw a bunch of good actors into a room, they all try to out-"serious face" each other, you add in a time jumping device that seems to be there for little reason other than it sounded cool in the pitch meetings, top it off with a story chock full of unlikeable characters that has no one to root for as the situation just spirals downward, and you have one of my least favorite movies I've seen in awhile. I honestly cannot believe that this thing is getting such good reviews.

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

yup going to agree here, almost left in the middle of the movie. thought the acting was good, and it was skillfully put together... but disagree that the movie was "interesting" as you said andy. i think basically, a whole lot of nothing happened in the movie. the story was pretty simple, a bunch of rotten people, couple people try to rob someone and it goes bad. there was no philosophy, no meaning, nothing good to take away from this. this movie is well concealed trash.

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

Wanted to see this movie, but it wasn't playing in my city.. guess I'll have to wait until it hits DVD.. reviews have been fairly positive to my knowledge, and the story/premise seems up my alley.. though some of the negative feedback here makes me think I'll be disappointed.. Has anyone seen this and liked it? Chime in.

Re: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
 

Very depressing. Though well-acted, there was nothing there to save the monotonous pace. Also, wtf with the strange editorial "flashing-betweens" (there's probably a highly technical term this that I of course don't know) too often employed??!!