Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Though consistently entertaining and uniformly well acted, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead ultimately comes off as nothing more than a perfunctory thriller – which is especially disappointing given the level of talent both in front of and behind the camera (ie this should have been electrifying). The story follows a pair of brothers (Ethan Hawke’s Hank and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Andy) as they collaborate on a scheme to rob their own parents’ jewelry store, although the whole thing quickly goes awry after their hired goon (Brian F. O’Byrne’s Bobby) brandishes a gun during the heist. Director Sidney Lumet, working from Kelly Masterson’s screenplay, has infused Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead with a complex, time-shifting structure that doesn’t work quite as well as one might’ve hoped, though there’s little doubt that it effectively keeps the viewer guessing through the majority of the film’s running time. Ultimately, however, there’s just no shaking the feeling that a linear approach would’ve been a more apt choice – as the relentless barrage of flashbacks and flashforwards eventually becomes something of a distraction. Still, it’s impossible to entirely dismiss Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead if only due to the uniformly stellar performances (it has to be said, though, that Michael Shannon steals every single one of his few scenes as a thug who insists on referring to Hawke’s character as “Chico”).

**1/2 out of ****