Product Description

Master filmmaker Sidney Lumet (The Verdict Dog Day Afternoon Serpico) scores big with this absorbing suspense thriller. Oscar®-winner* Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy an overextended payroll executive who lures his younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) into a larcenous scheme: the pair will rob a suburban mom-and-pop jewelry store that appears to be the quintessential easy target. The problem is the store owners are Andy and Hank's real mom and pop and when the seemingly perfect crime goes awry the damage sends them hurtling toward a shattering climax. System Requirements:LENGTH: 117 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 014381487527 Manufacturer No: CAP4875DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #762 in DVD
• Brand: Image Entertainment
• Released on: 2008-04-15
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents’ jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman’s steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master. --Tom Keogh

Review
Sidney Lumet s Before the Devil Knows You re Dead is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman s steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighy-three-year-old director Lumet (Serpico) employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If Devil feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master. --Tom Keogh --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

The GREAT Sidney Lumet Strikes Again!
The amazing career of Sidney Lumet is Hollywood legend, and at age 82, he's as fresh as ever. He's transcended the current trends, whether the "in your face" drama of the 50's (12 Angry Men), faithful adaptations of great plays (Long Day's Journey into Night), powerful irony of the 70's (Network), and now the popular and effective "flash-back" ideas of the 2000's. Each one is character driven to the max, and his choice of actors is always right-on. p>"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a riveting account, thanks to writer Kelly Masterson, and a brilliant cast led by P.S. Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, and ALL involved. Mr. Lumet controls the mayhem with a sure hand and total understanding of his material. That this film was totally ignored at the Oscars escapes me, though many critics included this in their Top 10 list, not to mention a few that gave it Best Ensemble Cast recognition. The editing is exceptional. p>The DVD is fine, with some good extras and a great commentary from Messrs. Lumet, Hoffman & Hawke. Definitely worth a look.

"May You Be In Heaven Half an Hour...Before the Devil Knows Your Dead"
Every once in awhile, you come apon a film, that just totally blows you away. It's just great from the very first scene to the last one.The only thing you can say to yourself as the end credits roll is "wow, thats' what great filmmaking and acting is all about". Such is the case with Director, Sidney Lumet's powerhouse of a melodrama, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead".

In this film we are introduced to two adult brothers, Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke). Both men are extremely different people, who lead very different life styles. But besides DNA, they do share one thing in common...money problems. At the start of the film, Andy pitches Hank an unusual ideal. He proposes, that they rob their own, elderly parents' small, suburban jewelry store. Andy assuredly presents this as a golden opportunity to solve their individual financial problems. An easy, victimless crime, that in the end will be covered by the insurance company. Hank is less sure, debating and arguing both the moral and practical implications of committing such an act. This sounds like a really bad, crack-pot ideal...right? You betcha. In the course of the actual robbery, everything that could go wrong, does go wrong with horrendous results.

But this is all just a jumping off point for the story. In a non-linear, "Pulp Fiction"-like fashion, we are slowly presented with both the events, that lead up to the robbery and the aftermath, in which both brothers are desperately trying to cover up their crime. The dominoing consequences end up tragically, devastating everyone involved and leads to the revelation of long buried, emotional family problems and dysfunction.

Director, Sidney Lumet, who's long and storied career includes many cinematic classics ("12 Angry men", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The Verdict", "Network") has made a truely great film. Maby, I'm committing a form of 'ageism', but I'm just amazed that a director, who's in his eighties is producing work, that has so much creativity, energy and vitality to it. My hat is off to him. Sidney Lumet is truely a consumate film artist.

The same can be said for the film's cast, which includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei. These four actors give just all around fantastic performances, that are at the top of their craft. In particular, I am quite impressed with Hoffman's turn as Andy. At first he presents us with a man, who seems composed, placid and assured in what he is doing. But as things start to fall apart, we watch this character just slowly implode into a mess of insecurities and dysfunction. Philip Seymour Hoffman may have won the Academy Award for "Capote", but this has to be one of his best performances ever.

The DVD features an interesting, short documentary on Sidney Lumet and the making of this film. Also included is a commentary track featuring Lumet, Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman. If your a fan of crime thrillers, good drama or just great filmmaking in general, then check out "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead". Excellent movie! Highly recommended!

Excellent Downbeat Lumet Thriller
Before The Devil Knows Your Dead is a wonderfully acted, skillfully directed thriller that is not the kind of film to see where you're looking for a happy, upbeat story. This is the kind of film that once it gets started, you know that the main characters will not only never be the same, but will leave shattered lives if they live at all.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, a corporate executive who is married to Gina, a beautiful wife who is unhappy with their life, and who wants to move to Rio de Janeiro, where they just recently vacationed and reconnected with each other. Masking his emotions as well as a severe habit, Andy reaches a point of desperation where he seeks to be able take Gina away to Rio for good. This desperation point coincides with similar feelings within his brother Hank, played by Ethan Hawke. Hank is a weak and cowardly younger brother to Andy. Hank works at the same company as Andy, and is unable to pay child support to his ex-wife for his daughter. At the same time, Hank is having an affair with Gina.

Andy comes up with what he things is a perfect solution to both his and Hank's financial problems. They will setup a robbery of their parents jewelry shop. The merchandise is insured, will be replaced, and the robbery will occur when neither parent is at the store. No one will gethurt because no real weapons will be used. And both Andy and Hank financial problems will be solved.

Not surprisingly, their seemingly "harmless" plan goes horribly, horribly wrong. The repercussions reverberate throughout the lives of everyone involved. No one is unscathed, and that one bad decision leads to many more bad decisions.

Sidney Lumet's films have often dealt with complex characters who make poor choices that affect others. This comes in handy when dealing with two brothers who are so desperate to change their circumstances that they don't think about how their choices will affect others, or how badly they will miscalculate. The acting is top-notch, including Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris, who play the brothers' parents.

This film is a great character study of human nature, and a very good film, even if it is not always easy to watch.