Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead Movie Review (2007)
Everyone doesn’t have to be likeable for a movie to work. And in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, that’s proven true time and time and time again.
Every family dynamic is sick in its own way, regardless of how much everyone may love each other. Whether it’s boundary issues, narcissism, or old hostilities, things linger out there, and rarely do they get cleaned up. You just try to figure out as much of your own stuff as you can on your own.
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a movie about two brothers, Andy and Hank, each of whom need money for their own desperate reasons. They are each self-centered and at the end of their ropes when Andy comes up with a brilliant idea – let’s rob our parents’ jewelry store. They get the insurance and we get the cash. Everybody wins. But when the plan goes awry, the fallout is major.
This was a really interesting film that grew on me over the course of the story. Both of the brothers (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) are frustrating and unappealing people with lots of issues. One invites a bit more sympathy than the other, but there is very little likeable about either.
That said, over time, I did start to care about the story. Somewhere in the last two-thirds of the movie, I found a sick pit in my stomach. I can’t quite pin when it began because I was enjoying the ride, but I think it had been slowly building through the entire movie. And here I was thinking I wasn’t connecting emotionally.
There is a lot of sex and drugs, but also many questionable decisions, so don’t expect sunshine and rainbows here. This isn’t that kind of movie. It is dark, shady, and lives just on the outskirts of the black market world that we all know is there, but choose to forget about.
The best part about this film (other than Albert Finney, who I always love seeing outside of playing Daddy Warbucks) is the way the movie is structured. Much like the time jumping in Pulp Fiction, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is told out of order. You’re given some information, but not all of it, which makes for a heightened viewing experience.
In the end, I really enjoyed this movie. It is extremely layered and shows how sick a family can be while presenting something completely different to the world. With great performances by Marissa Tomei, Hoffman, Hawke, and Finney, this is definitely a “watch it.”
Runtime: 117 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
