Review: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

The title Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (or Complete and Utter Destruction of a Family which I'm sure had to be a working title) indicates that someone in the movie is going to hell. Depending upon your religious beliefs, you'd be correct in your assumption. Sidney Lumet directs this movie whose 50-year career spans such films as 12 Angry Men (#13 on the imdb top 250 list), Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon (#158), and Network. Of course, his career also includes such gems as The Wiz and A Stranger Among Us, so I had to be on my guard. He had a great cast though, including Philip Seymour Hoffman (Andy Hanson), Ethan Hawke (his brother Hank), Albert Finney (their father Charles) and Marisa Tomei (Andy's wife Gina).

The movie opens with Andy and Gina completely nude and in a sexual position that I'll leave for suspense and to your imagination. I'll go on the record as saying that Marisa Tomei looks much better in the nude than Philip Seymour Hoffman (I know, that's a bold statement). Anyway, that's about the last good thing that happens to anyone in the movie.

Andy is a wreck. The aforementioned sexcapade with his wife was a rare occurrence (it seems Andy's got ED), which may or may not be related to his drug problem (if you consider coke and heroin to be "problems") , he's getting to be on shaky ground with his job with a commercial real estate company, and there are other problems he doesn't even know about yet. Hank isn't doing too much better, though he's just three months behind on his child support payments.

Andy has an idea, though, that will get them both out of their doldrums. It's a fool proof plan, they'll make some good coin, and then happily ever after. Guess what? Things don't go as planned. Then they get worse.

The film frequently jumps back in time to follow events from another character's point of view, occasionally intersecting with a previously told piece of the plot. Lumet uses this method to peel away the plot like an onion, and onions make you cry. You know it doesn't end well, because I already told you the only good thing that happens. Anyway, if that non-chronological storytelling thing bothers you, consider yourself forewarned.

I liked the movie, in the same way that I like a painful massage, except you don't that nice relaxed and happy feeling after the movie. Okay, the massage analogy was not well chosen. I just meant to say that the movie is well done, Hoffman gives a great performance (including a scene for which I nominate him for the "Most Lethargic Temper Tantrum" award at this year's festival), and the rest of the cast is spot-on as well. It's just super depressing. My imdb rating: 8/10.