While Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is certainly a catchy title, it's doubtful any of the players of this movie would make it through the pearly gates. They all seem to be sinners to varying degrees. Unfolding by moving back and forth in time and presenting different viewpoints, the movie begins with a catastrophically fouled up robbery that continues the downward spiral of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Andy Hanson. Andy drags along into the abyss his hapless brother Hank and anyone else he comes in contact with.
Legendary octogenarian director Sidney Lumet can still shoot with filmmakers half his age, employing modern techniques and the cutting edge technology of HD video while drawing on his years of experience. Lumet gets strong performances from the cast and impressively forges a flashy, non-linear film that could have easily turned into a confusing mess. It all seems to make sense, just don't think about this movie too much. There are elements that don't ring true and plot devices that don't make sense. With no criminal background, Hank decides to take part in a robbery? The robbery scene verges on the ridiculous if examined. A jewelry store employee feels so safe she does not lock the door but does keep a gun in the till? Most of the jewelry was in the vault, but some was left in the showcase so that the robber could get distracted? There are numerous examples of these cheap devices in this scene and others.
BTDKYD seems to be a modern film but ultimately it is a traditional story of a man undone by his own character. Lumet has always been interested in what he calls melodrama, wherein the story determines the characters rather than the characters determining the story. He refers to both BTDKTD as a melodrama and also his 1986 The Morning After, of which I am in the minority of those who enjoyed it. In The Morning After, starring Jane Fonda as an alcoholic, washed up actress, the question is what will she do when she thinks she's murdered someone. The viewer also has the mystery of "Did she actually kill the guy?" In BTDKYD there is no question of Andy's guilt, just of what he will end up being guilty. How far will this guy go? But actually that would not seem to be in question either. He is a severely flawed person who can only go in one direction. He's been treading water for a long time and things have finally come to a head. The question Lumet hints at but never satisfactorily resolves is, "Why is Andy such a disaster of a human being?" Because his Daddy didn't give him enough love?
Legendary octogenarian director Sidney Lumet can still shoot with filmmakers half his age, employing modern techniques and the cutting edge technology of HD video while drawing on his years of experience. Lumet gets strong performances from the cast and impressively forges a flashy, non-linear film that could have easily turned into a confusing mess. It all seems to make sense, just don't think about this movie too much. There are elements that don't ring true and plot devices that don't make sense. With no criminal background, Hank decides to take part in a robbery? The robbery scene verges on the ridiculous if examined. A jewelry store employee feels so safe she does not lock the door but does keep a gun in the till? Most of the jewelry was in the vault, but some was left in the showcase so that the robber could get distracted? There are numerous examples of these cheap devices in this scene and others.
BTDKYD seems to be a modern film but ultimately it is a traditional story of a man undone by his own character. Lumet has always been interested in what he calls melodrama, wherein the story determines the characters rather than the characters determining the story. He refers to both BTDKTD as a melodrama and also his 1986 The Morning After, of which I am in the minority of those who enjoyed it. In The Morning After, starring Jane Fonda as an alcoholic, washed up actress, the question is what will she do when she thinks she's murdered someone. The viewer also has the mystery of "Did she actually kill the guy?" In BTDKYD there is no question of Andy's guilt, just of what he will end up being guilty. How far will this guy go? But actually that would not seem to be in question either. He is a severely flawed person who can only go in one direction. He's been treading water for a long time and things have finally come to a head. The question Lumet hints at but never satisfactorily resolves is, "Why is Andy such a disaster of a human being?" Because his Daddy didn't give him enough love?