Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review
By David Kempler
Fun for the Whole Damned Family
Director Sidney Lumet at 83, is still a far better director than some of those being paid to helm some of the current blockbusters. He hasn't forgotten how to tell a story or how to pace a movie. His list of credits is the envy of most in the business. How many directors can present a resume that includes "12 Angry Men," "The Pawnbroker," "Fail-Safe," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," "Prince of the City" and "The Verdict?"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is not at the level of the aforementioned films but it is well done, wonderfully acted, and a very satisfying experience for the audience. On the negative side of the ledger, it is a tad herky-jerky, bouncing around in time so often that it sometimes felt necessary to resynchronize my brain to figure out exactly when and where the action was taking place.
Lumet drags us into the tale, slowly connecting the dots and the characters. The story centers around a family: a mother, father and three children (two boys and a girl). The children are all in their 30's but they are certainly still children, except for arguably, the daughter, the only character who approaches "normalcy" and "stability." Charles (Albert Finney) plays daddy to the clan - a group that is totally adrift. The two sons include Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke). Andy can be best described as cold and smarmy and Hank fails at pretty much everything he tries in life. But everyone here ultimately gets washed away due to the actions originally taken by Andy. Mr. Hoffman is outstanding for the umpteenth time around. Even if the movie had stunk it would have been worth the price of admission just to watch Hoffman mug his way through his role. Finney and Hawke also do very good work here, as does the rest of the cast.
At its core, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is about unraveling - about things being torn apart and swept away. Plans, relationships and careers crumble as the result of choices made by the characters until all concerned are caught in an overwhelming flood following the break of a dam. Everyone becomes helpless. No one is safe. And as with other vicarious thrills, it's entertaining - almost fun - to watch as things fall apart... just as long as it's not happening to you.
