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Movie Overview
Cast
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Ethan Hawke
Marisa Tomei
Director
Sidney Lumet
MPAA Rating
R - for a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS
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(1 - 37) of 37
OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh
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4/5
"
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
is kinetic. It's dynamite laced with electricity. It's a perfectly played puzzle that's final images make for an astoundingly satisfying statement."
PopMatters
Bill Gibron
A
"Nothing in Lumet's filmography has contained the back alley, concrete-block pummeling of
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,
a masterful, rampaging descent into the quicksand hell of desperation."
eFilmCritic.com
Brian Orndorf
4/5
"Lumet hasn't been this energetic and perceptive since The Verdict, released two-and-a-half decades ago."
Filmcritic.com
Chris Cabin
B+
"Director Sidney Lumet (
Dog Day Afternoon
) twists suspense around terrific ensemble performances in screenwriter Kelly Masterson's character-driven crime thriller that is at turns sexy, hilarious and devastating."
ColeSmithey.com
Cole Smithey
"As reckless and forlorn as the brothers and their father may be, it's plainly worse for the women who come anywhere near them."
PopMatters
Cynthia Fuchs
68/100
"Unfortunately, like Andy's character, the parts don't add up."
Apollo Guide
Dan Jardine
4/5
"Somehow, Lumet and his expert cast are able to make his shady characters compelling even though these folks might pause for only a passing thought before stabbing each other in the back, literally."
eFilmCritic.com
Dan Lybarger
2.5/4
"...nothing more than a perfunctory thriller..."
Reel Film Reviews
David Nusair
B
"[T]he bleak movie remains tense, interesting and unpredictable throughout."
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
"With a turn or so too many of the screw, cast and crew make the dramatic events depicted in 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' believable."
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Donald J. Levit
A
"Consistently engaging and suspenseful, tragic in a grand, Greek way, and loaded with sharp performances."
EricDSnider.com
Eric D. Snider
3/4
"You get all the weight of dishonorable people and the choices they make and the added pounds of a more modern style that probably keeps a very good film from ranking with Lumet's classics."
eFilmCritic.com
Erik Childress
A-
"A moody, expertly-crafted combination of crime story and domestic drama with a superb ensemble cast."
One Guy's Opinion
Frank Swietek
3/5
"A tense crime thriller directed by Sidney Lumet that explores the dark side of sibling rivalry."
Spirituality and Practice
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
B+
"The real kudos should go to screenwriter Kelly Masterson, who provocatively mixed a crime drama premise into a film exploring the legacy of damage family members impose upon one another."
Modern Fabulousity
Gabriel Shanks
A-
"
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
is easily the best-acted film of the year, but what's more is that it's a sharp piece of cultural criticism about late capitalism and the depths of tragedy it's capable of producing."
Cinepinion
Henry Stewart
3/4
"This is not classic Sidney Lumet, but it's ample evidence that after more than 40 years working in this business, the director is still capable of crafting an entertaining and thought provoking motion picture."
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
7/10
"The skill of the movie comes in using its structure to peel away the outer layers of these people and to slowly reveal the depths of their psychological damage."
Window to the Movies
Jeffrey Chen
"Half the fun is watching a first-rate cast try to outdo each other without chewing up any scenery."
Planet Sick-Boy
Jon Popick
"As the Shadow used to say, the weed of crime bears bitter fruit, and Lumet has made a delicious pie out of it."
Film.com
Jonathan F. Richards
3/4
"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."
Bangitout.com
Jordan Hiller
4.5/5
"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."
Cinerina
Karina Montgomery
A
"The structure is not so much "Rashomon-like" as it is like watching a photo developing with pulse quickening intensity."
Reeling Reviews
Laura Clifford
"Amid this chaos, Sidney Lumet, fast approaching ninety and having directed some sixty feature films, assembles a controlled and steady mood of impending doom."
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Leo Goldsmith
7/10
"The film has some powerful drama with Philip Seymour Hoffman turning in a superb performance. But the tone is relentlessly downbeat."
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Mark R. Leeper
"[A] sly, nasty casualness... takes [it] into a realm of mopey genius..."
Flick Filosopher
MaryAnn Johanson
4.5/5
"It's powerfully crafted, intensely paced and brilliantly acted from all involved players, and a film that's easily [Lumet's] best since
Network
."
Bronsonfive
Michael Ferraro
B
"A triumphantly brisk, bleak B-movie."
Lessons of Darkness
Nick Schager
5/5
"From start to finish, "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" is an absolute knockout and can already be ranked as one of the pinnacles of the long and reasonably distinguished career of Sidney Lumet."
eFilmCritic.com
Peter Sobczynski
4.5/5
"At age 83, Lumet proves he's at the top of his game with this expertly directed melodramatic thriller, relentlessly teasing us with a twisty story and provocative characters."
Shadows on the Wall
Rich Cline
A
"Cleverly written, brilliantly acted and put together like a fine watch."
Laramie Movie Scope
Robert Roten
"Director Sidney Lumet digs deep into the tawdry souls, peeling back the layers of arrogance and anger and self-delusion until all that's left is fury and fear and hate."
MSN.com
Sean Axmaker
3/4
"Lumet moves
Devil
with a purpose, all the while maintaining a firm grip on his live-wire cocktail of guilt and paranoia."
Charlotte Weekly
Sean O'Connell
9/10
"Insightful, impeccably crafted crime drama with the moral undertones of classic Greek tragedy."
www.susangranger.com
Susan Granger
7/10
"Gives a crackerjack cast some fine characters and dialogue to tussle with."
Antagony & Ecstasy
Tim Brayton
2/4
"Marked by hammy performances and outlandish revelations, Sidney Lumet's film can barely hold a candle to his greatest work."
Oscar Guy
Wesley Lovell
"Click here to see review"
Wolf Entertainment Guide
William Wolf
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OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh
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