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BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD (2007)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Lumet directed one of my all time favorite films The Verdict, and once again shows how much of a professional film maker he is with this toned and nasty tale of desperation and values gone bad.
Everything from the presence of Ethan Hawke, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Albert Finney - to the Grusinesque tension filled jazz score by long time Coen Bros composer Carter Burwell, makes this movie not to be missed. The only thing I can say as a warning is that this is a very ugly film. There's not a thing happy about it. From the opening shot of Hoffman's character drilling his wife (played by Marisa Tomei) doggystyle, to the last scene of a father who's just acted on years of disappointment, this is not a ride you take if you're in the mood for something light and cheery.
Hoffman shines as usual with his meditative and breathy laughter, giving way to a protruding vascularity on his forehead, growing with veins, that show how intensely invested he is into the craft. His laugh is uneasy yet confident, that of a man possessed by desperate will and mindlessly foolish evil. Ethan Hawke brings a more delicate savant to his role that acts as the audience, getting more and more immersed into the world of perverse dark area, knowing you can't swim back, and struggling to keep your head above the water.
Marisa Tomei, even after winning an academy award more than a decade prior, still has no problem bearing her naked chest three times, and one can only appreciate her generosity and beautiful boobs. Albert Finney has the longest fuse in the film, and let's his mouth acting take full reign as he works up to a demonic climax.
Everything fits nicely together in this picture. From the Easy Rider styled frame switch up editing technique creating a segue to another timeline, to the wonderfully realized digital photography which is both gritty and highly contrasted. This is the definition of non-linear storytelling, and works quite well, if not always perfectly balanced in regard to how often it's used for maximum effectiveness. There were at least one or two moments where it probably didn't need to re-spool the yarn like it did. That's OK, though. This isn't on the same level as another American-tale-Pulp Fiction, and because it is so tonally different, this style of unfolding the story works on an even dirtier level.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is part family drama and part crime suspense. It's noted as being a melodrama, and I suppose I can see that, too. But as a whole, it just plays out like a dark way to spend a couple of hours, as it even has a bit of humor, it still can't make this play like a Goodfellas type of experience, where the dark subject matter is offset by memorable comedy bits. There is a dark humor element built in, but it's not looking to win any popularity contests, that's for sure.
I'd usually rate a film like this higher but, because the story itself is so draining and horribly sad, I cannot see myself ranking this a staple of cinema to revisit very often. I am glad I watched it a 2nd time after not seeing it for a decade. Now I think I am finished.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Lumet directed one of my all time favorite films The Verdict, and once again shows how much of a professional film maker he is with this toned and nasty tale of desperation and values gone bad.
Everything from the presence of Ethan Hawke, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Albert Finney - to the Grusinesque tension filled jazz score by long time Coen Bros composer Carter Burwell, makes this movie not to be missed. The only thing I can say as a warning is that this is a very ugly film. There's not a thing happy about it. From the opening shot of Hoffman's character drilling his wife (played by Marisa Tomei) doggystyle, to the last scene of a father who's just acted on years of disappointment, this is not a ride you take if you're in the mood for something light and cheery.
Hoffman shines as usual with his meditative and breathy laughter, giving way to a protruding vascularity on his forehead, growing with veins, that show how intensely invested he is into the craft. His laugh is uneasy yet confident, that of a man possessed by desperate will and mindlessly foolish evil. Ethan Hawke brings a more delicate savant to his role that acts as the audience, getting more and more immersed into the world of perverse dark area, knowing you can't swim back, and struggling to keep your head above the water.
Marisa Tomei, even after winning an academy award more than a decade prior, still has no problem bearing her naked chest three times, and one can only appreciate her generosity and beautiful boobs. Albert Finney has the longest fuse in the film, and let's his mouth acting take full reign as he works up to a demonic climax.
Everything fits nicely together in this picture. From the Easy Rider styled frame switch up editing technique creating a segue to another timeline, to the wonderfully realized digital photography which is both gritty and highly contrasted. This is the definition of non-linear storytelling, and works quite well, if not always perfectly balanced in regard to how often it's used for maximum effectiveness. There were at least one or two moments where it probably didn't need to re-spool the yarn like it did. That's OK, though. This isn't on the same level as another American-tale-Pulp Fiction, and because it is so tonally different, this style of unfolding the story works on an even dirtier level.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is part family drama and part crime suspense. It's noted as being a melodrama, and I suppose I can see that, too. But as a whole, it just plays out like a dark way to spend a couple of hours, as it even has a bit of humor, it still can't make this play like a Goodfellas type of experience, where the dark subject matter is offset by memorable comedy bits. There is a dark humor element built in, but it's not looking to win any popularity contests, that's for sure.
I'd usually rate a film like this higher but, because the story itself is so draining and horribly sad, I cannot see myself ranking this a staple of cinema to revisit very often. I am glad I watched it a 2nd time after not seeing it for a decade. Now I think I am finished.