Movie Review: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

The movie's title is a reference to an old Irish toast: "May you be in Heaven a full half hour before the Devil knows you're dead." If you have read any other reviews of the movie, you have probably already read that (or at least some variation of it). The title does have a bearing on the film as a whole, when you take the complete toast and apply it to the plot you will see that the characters in the film are attempting to outrun the devil, feebly attempting to stay one step ahead as the devil, meaning consequences, hurtles toward them at an unrelenting pace. They never realize just how far out on the edge they have gone. Sure, they are completely aware of how bad the circumstances are and just how quickly they went downhill; however, they all continue doing the only thing they can, keep moving forward; keep trying to get away from the inevitability of their fate. In this respect, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is high tragedy wrapped in melodrama.

Before we can get to the tragedy we must first contend with the overriding thriller aspects. At its most basic level this is a heist film. Of course, if it were purely a heist film there would likely be little of any real interest in the film. Honestly, at this stage of the game is there really anything new to be added to the heist film? In order to keep the genre fresh there has to be something added, be it involving characters, or something personally involving for those characters within the film proper. In the case of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead it is a combination of things. Director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Kelly Masterson attack the material on two fronts to attempt to increase its level of freshness. It's too bad that only one of them worked. The other only served to point out the methodology of plot revelation and ran out of gas rather early on.

Let's start out with the bad. Well, to be honest, I liked it at first, but the more often it was used the more it became ever slightly more tiresome. I am sure, by now, you have to be at least a little bit curious as to what the heck I'm talking about. Sidney Lumet employs a fractured storytelling framework in which we get to see the story from a number of different viewpoints, both before and after the actual heist. The screen would flash as the point of view changed accompanied by this sound that I can only describe as breaking glass (it isn't, but it seems an accurate description). Through the varying angles the story is revealed in a worthwhile manner, however it is not entirely necessary. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place and the device keeps coming into play, effectively taking me out of the flow and putting too much attention on that device.

Now for the piece that makes the movie work. What makes this film work as more than a heist film are the relationships between all of the major players. The heist has more riding on it than just a big score; it has a personal affect on everyone involved. The story centers on the effects of the heist on the players. So many of these movies focus on the build up to the job, the technical aspects rather than the results. It is more often about the how the job will solve the problems and how things nearly go awry, but not here. Yes, there is a heist, but the story is not about the heist but about the heist's affect. It turns from crime thriller to personal drama. It is in the way the story involves the characters with each other that Before the Devil Knows You're Dead works.

The story revolves around two brothers, Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke). Both of them are experiencing money troubles, although they never come right out and explain them. Andy has a drug problem, a desire to move with his wife (Marisa Tomei) back to Rio where a vacation began to rekindle their relationship, not to mention the fact that he is embezzling money from his company that is facing an audit. He needs money and he needs it fast. Hank, on the other hand, is a more stand up guy who is having trouble making ends meet and pay child support for his daughter to his ex-wife. Andy has a plan to rob a mom and pop jewelry store, a plan that he approaches the only man he can trust to go in on it, Hank.

Once getting Hank's commitment it is revealed that the mom and pop jewelry store is their mom and pop's store. That's right, Andy plans to rob the store, sell off the loot and take care of his, and Hank's, outstanding debt. What he didn't plan on was how horribly wrong it would all go. Hank involves an outsider, a real gun is brought in, and before you can blink two people are dead and the brothers are in neck deep with no easy way out.

To describe any further would rob you of the intricacies of how everything falls into place and how their father (Albert Finney) plays into the climax. Just let it be said that you cannot predict how far down the tragic path they venture. The script works very well at showing us what we need to see, but not spoonfeeding us everything.

It is not perfect by any stretch, but it is probably the best heist-related film in years. For as good as the script is and as good as the performances are, I could not help but feel like I was being held at a distance. We get a lot of flavor for all of the characters, but I cannot say that I truly cared about them or their plight. Well, that is true in all cases except for their father, but by then it was too little too late.

Bottomline. This is a very good film. It is decidedly outside the mainstream that Hollywood tends to feed us, yet not so far outside as to be inaccessible. At 83 years old, Sidney Lumet can still deliver an engrossing film that does not feel dated. The performances don't hurt either. This is definitely a movie to see, just be prepared not to be blown away by it.

Recommended.