Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

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. (18/09/2016)

Étude infernale déprimante des relations familiales déformées, déclenchée par un événement malheureux. Les personnages ont plus de faiblesses personnelles et de lacunes de caractère que nous sommes habitués à voir dans les films américains, et le scénariste les pousse aux enfers. L'intrigue est imprévisible et bien que le film semble durer 20 minutes de plus qu'il ne l'est vraiment, l'ennui ne menace pas. Un drame psychologique old-school avec de très bonnes performances d'acteurs, des éléments de thriller et une bande sonore multi-flashback déroutante. Un film qui vous épuise mentalement. Une malédiction pour les journalistes de regarder un tel film le matin. Le reste de la journée est ensuite complètement "vidé". (14/02/2008)

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. (13/05/2010)

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. (07/04/2008)

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. (28/05/2012)

I appreciate the retrospective style of storytelling, where we learn the whole plot from the perspectives of all involved through multiple flashbacks, but apart from that and the fine acting, the film didn't really grab me. I was expecting more action, more psychological intensity and more build-up to a complete analysis of the viewer's soul, but the whole thing is just such a forgettable "meh"... (06/07/2023)

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. (12/05/2023)

A film that always somehow passed me by finally came into my view, and I immediately seized the opportunity and watched it. There are countless thrillers these days, but when I narrow it down to the quality ones, about ninety percent of films drop out of that category. This film is undoubtedly a quality one, boasting several excellent attributes, where I would especially praise the individual flashbacks that aren't forced but gradually reveal every detail to the viewer, one by one. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best asset of the film—his performance simply captivated me. Ethan Hawke played a complete fool and coward who turned a relatively simple robbery of a family business into a situation from which there’s no escape, due to his mistakes and senseless actions. I liked how the noose gradually tightened around the two main characters. The plot is perfect, and the twists were also well-executed. The ending was perfectly intense, sending chills down my spine. The only thing that bothers me is that we don’t know what happened to Hawke's character. I can’t believe he would be able to escape from such a mess, so some clarification would have been welcome. Otherwise, I give it 79%. (08/07/2017)

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% (10/01/2010)