Conceptually bold and unnervingly suspenseful, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is one of the best films Lumet has directed in a very long and at times uneven career.
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03/19/08
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
88
%
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Reviews Counted:156
Fresh:137
Rotten:19
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: A tense and effective thriller, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead marks a triumphant return to form for director Sidney Lumet.
Rated: R [See Full Rating]
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Genre: Family Interaction, Thriller, Infidelity, Theatrical Release, Brothers, Affairs
Theatrical Release:Oct 26, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $6,955,841
Synopsis: From the unexpectedly graphic opening shot, director Sidney Lumet proves he hasn't lost any of his bite with age. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD is a riveting suspense thriller that retains the... [More]
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney
Director: Sidney Lumet
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Reviews for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Hoffman’s brilliant in this nailbiting thriller and character study.
03/19/08
A marvellous film, filled with tension, drama and emotional angst
03/16/08
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a sleeker, slimmer film than Lumet's done in some time, but it is quite possibly his strongest work in decades.
02/28/08
Even though the story plays out nonlinearly, the intensity surges up a straight slope. This would seem impossible if not for the masterful screenplay by first-timer Kelly Masterson and deft direction by Sidney Lumet.
02/16/08
Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney are doing some really fascinating, nuanced work, and it's all just slightly diluted by Sidney Lumet's formal agitations.
02/04/08
Marked by hammy performances and outlandish revelations, Sidney Lumet's film can barely hold a candle to his greatest work.
01/29/08
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01/15/08
In its relentless and uncompromising nastiness, cold-sweat tension and fear, its serious engagement with the idea of evil and sin and finally in the way it evolves, persuasively, into a kind of contemporary family tragedy, this is in a different league.
01/11/08
If you want a quality crime caper, then this is for you.
01/11/08
Hoffman’s reliably superb while Albert Finney, as the lads’ father, is as good as he’s ever been.
01/11/08
A crime melodrama that takes risks with characterisation and narrative structure, but ends up as awkward, indulgent and hard to like as its main protagonists.
01/11/08
Lumet doesn’t damn himself, but it’s hardly cinema heaven. Hoffman, Hawke and Finney claw strong moments out of an underwhelming script, but for some the only thing that’ll stick is Marisa Tomei with her kit off.
01/11/08
Superior fare, packed with insight and suspense.
01/11/08
Veteran director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) shows he's no slouch at 83 when it comes to crafting first-class thrillers with a pitch black core.
01/11/08
Bleak, brutal and quite possibly brilliant, this is a triumphant return to form for Lumet and further proof that Hoffman is on an incredible winning streak.
01/11/08
Cleverly written, brilliantly acted and put together like a fine watch.
01/10/08
Impressively directed by Sidney Lumet (he's 83, you know), this is a thoroughly gripping thriller with a strong script and terrific performances from its two leads.
01/10/08
There may be very little that is nice about the people in this ferocious family film from Lumet but it’s awfully nice to see him pull it off this late in the game.
01/01/08
Before the Devil Knows Your Dead is an insightful, incisive lesson in potential. Every frame oozes desperation and there is always a plan being concocted.
12/31/07
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