No one was supposed to get hurt.
Needing extra cash, two brothers conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed.
Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Rating: 7.4/10 (31,861 votes)
Release Date: 6 September 2007
Country: USA, UK
Languages: English
Company: Linsefilm
Sound: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
MPAA: Rated R for a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language.
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Posted on: November 1, 2007
July 13th, 2009
*added the spoiler thing just in case* Okay, just watched this movieand actually there was just one reason why i even started watching it:Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The story ain't that bad, it's just annoying that it has so manyflashbacks that are quite unnecessary if anyone asks my opinion, butthen again, those keep the viewer in tension. Is it a good or badthing, i dunno.
One thing is for sure: The movie is depressing. I wasn't sure would istart crying or just be numb in the end of the movie, because i reallydidn't believe that this whole thing would end badly (okay, sure, whynot…) And the ending itself just stopped right on the wall, and i sata long moment waiting for something more, but it never came.
Great actors, that's the main reason why anyone should watch thismovie.
July 25th, 2009
Sidney Slumet's moralistic thriller starts out promisingly enough, withpasty, fat Philip Seymour Hoffman pounding totally hot (and 15 yearsyounger-looking) Marisa Tomei from behind. They talk about how greatthings are on vacation — and we get a sense that they aren't so great"back home." Soon, that's where we are, watching a very intense jewelrystore robbery that, it turns out, is masterminded by Hoffman'scharacter. The older woman who ends up shooting the robber, and gettingshot herself, turns out to be his mother, and the driver of the getawaycar, his younger brother. Hoffman and his kid brother (Ethan Hawke) areboth in deep financial trouble, and figure an easy, painless way to getout of it is to rob their parents' store. It's insured, it'll be easy,no cameras, etc etc. But it doesn't work out that way.
This heads out on a good track, the performances are all solid, butsomewhere along the line the structure (overlapping flashbacks) startsto betray some thinness; Tomei's character for example is crucial tothe plot, but never really developed at all. Albert Finney, playing thefather of the two sons, spends the movie trying to find out whathappened; when he does we come to the very downbeat conclusion, whichthe film tries to prepare us for but ultimately, for me, fails to doconvincingly. Still, it's solidly crafted for the most part and neverboring.
July 31st, 2009
We've seen types of movies like "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead"before. And this particular film adds a nasty twist to the genre.(spoilers)The pacing of the movie is slow especially in the first thirdof the movie, and there's the in vogue cutting of time sequences sothat the narrative is not linear, but sort of overlapping. The effectis mostly neutral though. Acting is very good for most of the supportand lead characters, but the subject matter is quite unpalatable andbase. Towards the end of the movie social fabric of characters liveshas disintegrated into wanton crime and despicable gratuitous violence.At one point a shopkeeper in the movie remarks "the World is an EvilPlace" – ironic for such a movie to state such like the pot and thekettle black.
August 18th, 2009
When giants fall, they go down hard don't they? Our love for cinema hadbeen shaped, molded and preserved eons ago by a few of cinema'silluminating lighthouses. Kurosawa, Coppola, Lumet and Orson Welleswere part of our formative influences culminating in our collectivetastes in movies now. Thus, as one of the directors whom we look up to,Lumet was untouchable and beyond reproach. Sadly, with this latestoffering, Lumet seems to be saying, "My game's up. I've no more tricksup my sleeve. It was a pleasure to enthrall you all but now I mustleave the hall." What started out like a smart thriller/whodunit took avery wrong turn instead and ended up disastrously farcical. Come backto us, old friend. We still adore you and the magic you once weaved.