Rating of
3.5/4
"Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/25/12
Domineering Philip Seymour Hoffman talks his weak willed younger brother into helping him rob their parents jewelry store to solve both their financial difficulties, but when the heist goes wrong, their lives start to unravel. Sidney Lumet has been making quality thrillers for 50 years, but in his latest effort, he takes a few cues from his younger pretenders. The plot themes have a lot in common with Fargo and A Simple Plan and the execution is reminiscent of Jackie Brown and its familiar disjointed timeline. In fact there is little here that hasn't been done before so don't expect much in the way of originality or surprises. But the quality cast all put in solid performances and Lumet certainly still knows how to pace a story and crank up the suspense. No gimmickry, no pointless frills; just an extremely well crafted and intelligent thriller.
