Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

One of those films that, albeit of all its shortcomings, I couldn't help but enjoy. Yes, some of the supporting actors were mediocre at best (*couch* Marisa Tomei*cough), the visual style wasn't very special, and the non-linear narrative is quite overused. Still, Lumet's last film shows the touch of a masterful director, which in combination with Hawke/Hoffman is the reason I enjoyed it so much. The soundtrack is spectacular. read more

“i've seen heaven, gina. it's a nice place to stay” hoffman, hawke, and finney all give next level performances under the expert no holds barred direction of sydney lumet. i do wish we had a little more resolution with hawkes character, and a couple of the plot points were a tad cliche. but overall this is excellent, and i especially love the choice to present it in a non linear narrative. it really adds to the chaos of the situation and leaves a lot of intrigue as to what motivates these characters to commit their unspeakable act. a great gritty crime thriller told in an interesting... read more