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11/17/07
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
88
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:156
Fresh:137
Rotten:19
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: A tense and effective thriller, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead marks a triumphant return to form for director Sidney Lumet.
Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating]
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Genre: Family Interaction, Thriller, Infidelity, Theatrical Release, Brothers, Affairs
Australian Theatrical Release:
Mar 20, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $6,955,841
Synopsis: From the unexpectedly graphic opening shot, director Sidney Lumet proves he hasn't lost any of his bite with age. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD is a riveting suspense thriller that retains the... [More]
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney
Director: Sidney Lumet
Reviews for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticClassic Lumet.
11/17/07
I didn't get it.
11/17/07
One of the most electrifying genre films of the year.
11/16/07
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead plays around a bit with time and perception, and the story unfolds at a tremendous clip. The movie is not without its share of black humour, but it's an exercise in violence and adrenalin. And tragedy.
11/16/07
You feel Before the Devil Knows You're Dead more than you watch it. And the feeling is far from warm and fuzzy.
11/16/07
At a time when family movies are usurped by fantasies of sentimental feelgood, Lumet's latest -- the mangled-heist melodrama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead -- delivers a swift kick straight to the jewels.
11/16/07
Last month, there were a couple of movies (Michael Clayton, We Own the Night) that recalled the '70s heyday of director Sidney Lumet. This month, we get the real deal.
11/16/07
Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead starts with a bad idea -- a plan by two brothers to rob their parents' jewelry store -- and whips itself into a beautifully acted, nervous-making frenzy of a melodrama.
11/16/07
Emotionally brutal, ferociously acted, crafted with unflagging expertise and relentlessly locked in its vision of human darkness, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is as grim and despairing as any tragedy by Sophocles or Shakespeare.
11/16/07
Lumet's rejection of despair and cynicism despite the grimness of the events he depicts ('Fail-Safe' ends with the obliteration of New York) and his refusal to disrespect the intelligence of his audience seem more valuable every day.
11/16/07
This machine repeatedly threatens to rev up, but mostly just keeps slipping out of gear.
11/16/07
The problem is not that the director is working but that his latest film is working too hard. Way too hard – this thing is melodrama running a marathon.
11/16/07
The family dynamics are skillfully rendered, the suspense is bruising and each man's performance is a revelation.
11/15/07
Just when Lumet starts to build some decent tension, he cuts back, losing the suspense and replacing it with a rehash of what we've already seen.
11/15/07
[Lumet's] best film since 1982's The Verdict.
11/15/07
Loaded with operatic gravity and noirish fatalism.
11/15/07
Despite its idiosyncrasies compared to more modern thrillers, it's a fine addition to an outstanding season for movies.
11/14/07
As reckless and forlorn as the brothers and their father may be, it's plainly worse for the women who come anywhere near them.
11/14/07
There’s a sense of the filmmaker himself trying to decide just what to make of this spectacle he’s staged, what stance to take.
11/13/07
Latest News for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
April 14, 2008:
RT on DVD: Juno, AVP2, and Dungeon Siege
If you're not sick of hearing Diablo Cody this, hamburger phone that, then this week's bonus-packed release of Juno should be numero uno on your list, home skillet. Otherwise,... More...
March 07, 2008:
Paper Magazine Compiles Top Ten Worst Nude Scenes of All Time
Nude scenes: we love them. Well, most of the time, anyway. More...
December 17, 2007:
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Dexter Make AFI's 2007 Best-Of List
If there's one thing the American Film Institute loves, it's a list -- and with the end of 2007 rapidly approaching, you know what that means: It's time to run down the AFI's... More...
December 14, 2007:
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...
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