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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Widescreen]

Actor(s): Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Michael Shannon
Director(s): Sidney Lumet
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Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity, Drug Content
Movie Release: 2007
DVD Release: 04/15/2008
Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 57 mins
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Total Copies: 9
Genres: Crime, Crime Thriller, Family Drama
See Also: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray]

DVD Synopsis

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller concerning two brothers who hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. When the job goes awry, the entire family is set on a collision course with tragedy. Andy (Hoffman) is an overextended broker in desperate need of some cash. His brother, Hank (Hawke), isn't much better off, so when Andy hatches a plan to rob their parent's modest jewelry store, it seems like a foolproof way to make a quick buck. But Andy's trophy wife, Gina (Tomei), is secretly sleeping with libidinous younger brother Hank, and when the robbery proves a complete disaster it isn't long before loyalties start to shift. Now Andy and Hank's father, Charles (Finney), is determined to make the unidentified robbers pay for their crime. What's a father to do when he discovers that the ones he loves have become his worst enemies? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Actors

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Andy Hanson
Ethan Hawke - Hank Hanson
Marisa Tomei - Gina Hanson
Albert Finney - Charles Hanson
Michael Shannon - Dex

Member Movie Reviews

S A A. (Learned2Heal) wrote on 1/4/2009...

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

A true masterpiece, this movie. It will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. Amazing character development and acting. No surprise that, from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney. The real surprise was Ethan Hawke who, to me, always seemed an overrated mediocre actor. He was unbelievably good in this!

The plot of this film is fairly original and deserved the nominations for Best Original Screenplay, but the presentation is what makes it really work. There should have been an award for the editing too. The score ratcheted up the suspense nicely too.

The whole story comes together flawlessly, at its own prescribed pace. You may not feel much for the characters, but you don't have to. It merely shows you how seemingly ordinary people can get themselves into extraordinarily bad situations just by a slight miscalculation or two. They think they have this plan all sewn up, no problem. So simple. A cakewalk really. All too human... And so are their reactions when it all goes horribly wrong.

I gave it 4 stars. IMDB gives it 7.4/10.

Mary C. (librariansrule) wrote on 12/28/2008...

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

As has been said, this film was beautifully done. The characters were 3-dimensional, the plot was never heavy-handed, always believable. The pay off at the end was excellent, and--for me--the point of the whole film. Everything was right on the money. That said, I doubt if I will watch it more than once. I don't necessarily need heroes and villains in a movie, I like real people rather than cardboard figures.....but once was enough with this group.

Danielle T. (sugarkane) from FITCHBURG, WI wrote on 10/23/2008...

5 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.

This was an interesting story, no doubt. And, it was beautifully directed and acted. My only problem with this movie is that every character was deplorable, and I found myself asking "who am I rooting for?" The anwser was, sadly, no one. Worth a watch, and a solid three stars, but not my fave movie of all time.