On B List of Movie Reviews
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Before the Devil Knows
You're Dead (2007)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
10/18
10/18:
The title Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is ironical because it's the final film for Sidney Lumet before passing
away four years afterwards and it also depicts Philip Seymour Hoffman's character's heroin abuse that'll ultimately kill the
actor in 2014.
While watching it, I thought back to the great films Sidney Lumet had directed, and they were way better:
12 Angry Men, Serpico,
Dog Day Afternoon, Network,
Equus, Prince of the City, and
Q&A, among others. What an outstanding résumé.
The commonalities of Lumet's films are solid acting and polished storylines, but when I saw
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, the melodrama is overdone although there's a bit of Tarantino touch.
More notably is the director losing out to the 21st century manner of filmmaking in terms of how the story is presented.
If there's anything I'm surprised at, it's the 43-year-old Marisa Tomei who's constantly naked. It isn't necessary
for her to do that. She already won an Oscar and therefore had nothing to prove as far as acting talent went.
All in all, thanks to the strong ensemble cast, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is worthwhile, but Sidney Lumet
should've cut down the melodrama.