I think I was expecting something else. 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' wasn't as thrilling as I anticipated, but more of a depressing, slow-paced yet painfully realistic kind of a movie. I was surprised to read such rave reviews of this film, seeing as though I didn't find anything particularly outstanding about it. It's a good film, but certainly nothing worthy of an Oscar like some critics seem to believe.
The story is about a jewelry store robbery gone awry. Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) are running low on money, so they decide to rip off their parent's jewelry store. Even though they planned everything out carefully, something terribly wrong goes wrong during the robbery and tragedy ensues.
The best part of the film is Philip Seymour Hoffman. Although it isn't one of his best performances, Hoffman owns the role like always and makes 'Andy' a sympathetic character despite the awful things he does. Ethan Hawke, not nearly as good, excels in the role of Hank. Marissa Tomei is great as Andy's wife and even better when she doesn't have any clothes on! Just kidding, but not really, she's a very beautiful girl. Albert Finney is powerful in a kind of nothing role as Andy and Hank's father, and Broadway actor Brian F. Byrne (Doubt) is genuinely creepy in his role.
The acting is the high-point of the film. The story is very good, but the screenplay is awful. The dialogue is solid, but Kelly Masterson has some serious problems with pacing. Everything seems to run into together, which result in a film that isn't as compelling as it has the potential to be. The film's editing and cinematography are amateurish and teeter on the point of being annoying, and Sidney Lumet's directing is nothing to shout home about. Lumet, a director I highly admire for his work on such masterpieces as 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'Network', really phones it in for his latest feature.
In conclusion, 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' is a good film with some great performances, an intriguing plot but some serious problems. Grade: B
The story is about a jewelry store robbery gone awry. Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) are running low on money, so they decide to rip off their parent's jewelry store. Even though they planned everything out carefully, something terribly wrong goes wrong during the robbery and tragedy ensues.
The best part of the film is Philip Seymour Hoffman. Although it isn't one of his best performances, Hoffman owns the role like always and makes 'Andy' a sympathetic character despite the awful things he does. Ethan Hawke, not nearly as good, excels in the role of Hank. Marissa Tomei is great as Andy's wife and even better when she doesn't have any clothes on! Just kidding, but not really, she's a very beautiful girl. Albert Finney is powerful in a kind of nothing role as Andy and Hank's father, and Broadway actor Brian F. Byrne (Doubt) is genuinely creepy in his role.
The acting is the high-point of the film. The story is very good, but the screenplay is awful. The dialogue is solid, but Kelly Masterson has some serious problems with pacing. Everything seems to run into together, which result in a film that isn't as compelling as it has the potential to be. The film's editing and cinematography are amateurish and teeter on the point of being annoying, and Sidney Lumet's directing is nothing to shout home about. Lumet, a director I highly admire for his work on such masterpieces as 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'Network', really phones it in for his latest feature.
In conclusion, 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' is a good film with some great performances, an intriguing plot but some serious problems. Grade: B