Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

It's been a long time since Sidney Lumet was considered a master of crime drama, since back when he was Pacino's ticket with Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. Good to know that he hasn't lost his touch. Lumet drew us into the creepy hysteria of a robbery gone wrong in Dog Day and he manages to draw us in yet again in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (as in the Irish blessing, 'May you be in heaven half an hour....)

Picture this: Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman,) a seemingly successful accountant has been cooking the books to feed a drug habit. His schmuck of a baby brother Hank (Ethan Hawke,) hasn't paid his child support in a month of Sundays. Out of financial desperation they hatch a simple plan, to rob a Mom and Pop jewelry store - a victimless crime, they figure, as insurance will pick up the tab. The Mom and Pop just happen to be theirs. The crime doesn't end up victimless. And when Mom ends up dead, Pop (Albert Finney) is pissed.

Devil spins a tale of woe that Shakespeare would envy - every imaginable complication, people behaving very badly, abominable luck. It is further enriched by an amazing cast doing some fine acting; in particular, Hoffman who's a marvel at breathing life into really awful characters. It does a lot of time jumping a 'la Pulp Fiction, where you end up watching the same scene play out from different perspectives - effective but sometimes annoying. However, it will keep you biting your nails to the bitter, bitter end. Read another review here.