Synopsis
No one was supposed to get hurt.
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and their family hurtling towards a shattering climax.
Directed by Sidney Lumet
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and their family hurtling towards a shattering climax.
Antes Que o Diabo Saiba Que Você Está Morto, Antes que el diablo sepa que has muerto, 7h58 ce samedi-là (2007), Mielőtt az ördög rádtalál, Перед тим як диявол дізнається що ти мертвий, Tödliche Entscheidung - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Avant que le diable ne le sache, 賊兄弟連環劫, Преди дявола да разбере, че си мъртъв, Tödliche Entscheidung, Onora il padre e la madre, Şeytan Duymadan Önce, Antes que o Diabo Saiba que Você Está Morto, 7h58 ce samedi-là, Игры дьявола, 在魔鬼知道你死前, Док ђаво не сазна да си мртав, Než ďábel zjistí, že seš mrtvej, לפני שהשטן ידע, Πριν ο διάβολος καταλάβει ότι πέθανες, Nim diabeł dowie się, że nie żyjesz, Ігри диявола, Înainte ca diavolul să afle că ai murit, 악마가 너의 죽음을 알기 전에, Игрите на дявола, 7h58 ce samedi là, Cái Chết Được Báo Trước, Než sa diabol dozvie, že si mŕtvy, その土曜日、7時58分, 魔鬼知道你死前, Prieš velniui sužinant, kad esi miręs, Abans que el diable sàpiga que has mort, ก่อนปีศาจปิดบาปบัญชี
Whenever people make lists with favourite or best directors, Sidney Lumet hardly ever pops up. That should change. Look at his filmography. He is one of the best directors that ever worked in the industry.
This film is modern noir at its finest. It is bleak, rather disturbing and dark as hell. The story, which unravels in an asynchronous chronology, is multilayered and keeps you guessing due to its fragmented narrative. Only a very talented director can add the much needed coherence a story like this needs.
What Lumet understands very well is to give his actors the right amount of space to inhabit their characters. There is not one weak performance here. The main cast is superb, moved along…
"It's too late to think."
A simple heist premise that is fractured by familial melodrama and the sheer pathetic desperation and despair radiating off its characters. Credit to Lumet's skill with actors that he wrings about as much sympathy as one could out of this situation (god Hoffman) before arriving at what has to be the most aggressively bleak and contemptible destination of his career.
80
Sidney Lumet directed Before the Devil Knows You're Dead at the wise age of 82. It was his last film, but it feels like he was just getting started. With Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, hell, even Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan - this ensemble cast dives deep into the grime of hopeless family ties and desperate situations going from bad to worse. Singling anyone out would take all day, as this film is all about the work and method of performance, of initially sculpting a story from the character first and foremost. You can feel the approach of Sidney Lumet as he transforms a fairly standard crime drama into a fractured nightmare of broken…
Rule of thumb, when Ethan Hawke is in a film with the word "Before" in it, its going to be a good one.
It’s a guaranteed good film if Phillip Seymour Hoffman gets to shout and turn red like a looney toons villain.
Sidney Lumet's first feature movie was 12 Angry Men and his last was Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Talk about going out on a high note!
Sidney Lumet’s Swan Song is an unflinchingly bleak and unforgiving tale that plumbs the depths of human immorality. It's kinda amazing that Lumet made it at the age of 82, it feels like the work of a gifted 20 something. There are some excellent performances from Marissa Tomei, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and — of course — the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman. That scene of Philip Seymour Hoffman breaking down in the car is so haunting.