Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead film review
This is a review of the film “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney. This film is screening at The Duke of Yorks, Brighton, until 6th March 2008.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is the new film from the director of Dog Day Afternoon and the film version of Equus amongst many others. Like Dog Day Afternoon, this film focuses on a robbery gone wrong, but this time most of the action takes place away from the location of the robbery itself.
The film takes a look at the lives of each person involved in the robbery, both perpetrators, victims and those close to them. There are a number of twists, but I don’t want to give anything away (although as usual, the trailer does), all I shall say is that the relationships between various characters get very complex as the film progresses, and provide all the tension. This is not a heist movie!
The acting is of a good standard, everyone involved turns in a fine dramatic performance, although perhaps a little stage like and slightly over acted in places. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gets to play another baddie, and although I always found his characters somewhat likeable before, this is an exception. Ethan Hawke I seem to remember as a Tom Cruise type, but Tom Cruise would be incapable of playing this role, its far too demeaning. Albert Finney also is excellent, although I found his character too abstract to like or get involved emotionally with.
Towards the later stages of the film the plot gets a little out of control, people start doing things that seem fairly far fetched. Whilst the ensuing chaos is fun to watch, it undermines the realism of the first half of the film and drags it down from a more serious peice of work into Hollywood territory. Still, its not as if the ending is overblown or big budget, the lack of realism is subtle and still provokes thought.
On the whole an enjoyable experience, with some slightly over wrought but skilled performances.