Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

A terribly depressing study of twisted family relationships brought on by a tragedy. The characters have more personal weaknesses and character flaws than we are used to in American films, and the screenwriter sends them to the deepest pits of hell for it. The plot is unpredictable and although the picture feels like it is 20 minutes longer than it really is, it is never boring. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a thoroughly old-school psychological drama with very good acting performances, thriller elements and a special multi-flashback composition. It will exhaust you mentally. The curse of a journalist is to see such a film in the morning or early in the afternoon, as they would feel completely devastated for the rest of the day. (02/14/2008)

When watching Lumet's film, I immediately recalled a certain resemblance to the famous Coen brothers' film Fargo. Not so much in terms of plot similarity, but rather in the genre classification and the model situation of a criminal act that was supposed to be routine but, due to a certain coincidence, turned into a shocking drama. It could be just an episode of a crime series, but the creators focused on a deeper portrayal of the psychology of all the participants in the robbery, so the film exceeds not only the genre average but also its boundaries. It is more of a psychological drama - thanks to the family relationships with an almost ancient resonance. Where Fargo turns into a caricature and works with "cool" elements and characters, Lumet's film is more intimate and depressive. Although here too, the spiral of violence spins at higher speeds, but there is no human body in a meat grinder. The presence of Philip Seymour Hoffman greatly helps the film, as the perpetrator has a much more nuanced nature and a more grateful role than William H. Macy had in Fargo. He's not just a weakling, but also an extremely dangerous player, and it's a joy to watch Hoffman when he entices to crime, when he writhes in a hysterical fit, or when he builds castles in the air. Each of the film's characters is excellently written and acted. Overall impression: 90%. The film works with the intertwining of different timeframes and the perspectives of individual characters on the same event. (05/13/2010)

A depressing family drama put together masterfully by director Sidney Lumet. The story is almost unpredictable, full of dark corners and incredible realities. The acting performances are great, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman is chillingly perfect. If the story hadn’t dragged in places, I would give this 5. (04/07/2008)

It looks like a Coen film that the Coens didn't direct (we even get a Carter Burwell cameo) and lacks their humor and quirky characters. Not that it matters, at least this “Devil” is serious and somehow more realistic. Sidney Lumet said farewell to the director’s chair in an more than decent way. (05/28/2012)

I was a little disappointed that a narrative built on mixed causality and unpredictability was left rather open-ended and unclear, but otherwise Lumet and all the actors deliver truly admirable performances. A depressing, skin-deep tale of two losers that tightens the screws from the beginning and doesn't leave even a spark of positive energy in the viewer. I don't think Hollywood has ever seen a family this tough, and the resulting insight "How fragile family relationships can be in the face of a difficult life situation" will throb in my head for a long time. (09/18/2016)

Aaaaand I need Hoffman drops like this more often. The man is a super actor, a movie god, a demon. Luckily Before… doesn't just rest on his shoulders, and apart from the successful script, it's also worth mentioning the amazing music. Moreover, Lumet, at his age, doesn't make grinding philosophical dramas like other deserving directors and sticks to his hoof. (05/12/2023)

There's a little bit of Tarantino and a little bit of Iñárritu in this crime drama that once again poses the eternal question of guilt and punishment. The analysis of the relationship between father and son is brilliantly captured here, but also the relationship between the two brothers, which involves manipulation on the one hand and powerlessness and the inability to step out of the other's shadow on the other. The eighty-three-year-old at the time of filming Sidney Lumet proves that he still has something to say and although all the components of the film show that he is an old-school director, in this case and with such a subject it is rather to the benefit of the cause :)) 80% (01/10/2010)