A Devil of a good time? Not so much.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Rated R for: a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language
Running Time: 1 hr, 57 min
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei

Rating: Two stars (out of four)

In select theatres now



The Irish expression goes, "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."

And for the first half an hour or so, this movie does kind of feel like heaven, or at least has the potential to be so. And while it doesn't end up being hell, it could certainly qualify for purgatory.

Sidney Lumet, the near legendary director responsible for films such as Network and Dog Day Afternoon, has created a movie that tries very hard to be smarter than the room and, while not quite succeeding, doesn't exactly fall flat on its face, either.

Credit that to the always great performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, who rise above mediocre material and breathe life into a film that would otherwise be very hard to sit through.

Hoffman plays Andy Hanson, a sleazy businessman in a desperate financial situation. He convinces his good-hearted brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) to join him on a scheme that he guarantees will solve both their financial woes: Rob a jewelry store. And not just any jewelry store, mind you, but their parents' jewelry store.

Their plan is simple: Get in, get out, get the cash and some expensive jewelery, and make sure no one gets hurt and nothing gets complicated in the process. Things invariably go very, very wrong, and the brothers find themselves in trouble so deep they might not be able to make their way out of it.





It's not that the film is bad, really, it's that it just isn't very good. A robbery going wrong isn't exactly the freshest concept in the world, but credit Lumet and screenwriter Kelly Masterson for coming up with some original concepts. The problem is, just because something is original doesn't necessarily mean that it's all that interesting.

As mentioned, Hoffman is wonderful, as is Hawke. These aren't the best performances of their careers, but they do a fine job of making these characters leap out of the screen, at least as much as the material allows them. And Marissa Tomei isn't bad either as Andy's long-suffering wife.

There are, as you can imagine, quite a few twists and turns along the way, but nothing that really jumped out at me.

The structure of the movie, where scenes jump back and forth through time (specifically reminiscent of Memento) isn't distracting, really, but it doesn't add much to the film either. Unlike other films that have used this technique (the aforementioned Memento or, say, Pulp Fiction) you get the feeling that this one really didn't need that particular effect, which essentially makes it a gimick, unlike the examples listed. In other words, it's not a bad move, but it doesn't add to the movie much, either.

Of course, I could be wrong about that. I get the feeling it might take a second viewing to really decide if the techniques used are gimmicky or not.

Regardless, I'll probably never find out, because I really don't feel that Devil is worthy of a second chance. Take heed- it's not a bad flick, but not great either. It might be best to wait for DVD with this one.