Rating : - (3.5 STARS) "No One Was Supposed to Get Hurt": Absorbing (Though Depressing) Crime Drama
No one gets hurt. That was what Hank Hanson was told and he needs money desperately. But of course, someone gets hurt. Actually, very seriously. What was thought a very easy way of getting money turns out a big mistake, and as the melodramatic story unfolds, things get out of control leading to more disastrous consequences.

I know my summery is vague, but I believe you should enjoy this kind of first-rate thriller without knowing anything about it. I can promise "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" has terrific acting of two leads Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers. I never was a big fan of Ethan Hawke, but I was quite impressed with his superb performance here. As to Philip Seymour Hoffman, he proved his enormous acting talent again. Some may complain (understandably) that they don't look like brothers, but maybe that is the point. The fact doesn't change that the scenes their characters share are strong and dramatic.

Sidney Lumet, acclaimed director of "12 Angry Men" "Serpico" "Dog Day Afternoon" and many other masterpieces, has come back with this highly emotional crime drama. Frankly this is a bit of surprise because he hasn't made a great film since the 1980s when he did "The Verdict" and "Running on Empty." (And he shouldn't have made "Gloria"). I also admit "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," engrossing as it is, is not his best. The now familiar non-linear narrative method (with flashbacks) starts to look repetitious in the second half of the story, and some characters (especially female ones) are slightly flat.

You may not the tone of the film. You may think it is too depressing. This is not "Pulp Fiction" or "The Bank Job" (both my favorite films). "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" may make you think, but not smile. Still its tension and great acting is undeniable, to which my four stars go.