The film revolves around two brothers who try to organize the robbery in their parents' jewelry store. The scheme appears to be completely paralyzed as the task misses terribly, causing a series of strange events. Now, they both face a different path in front of their father and brother-in-law, struggling to a climax.
Suspense and action would be enough to seal this film, but the feeling of dread, that under different circumstances this could be us, makes this a heist picture for the ages.
Stop Smiling
May 16, 2016
The problem is that we get no real sense of what these characters were like before everything went haywire, so little is believably at stake.
The problem is not that the director is working but that his latest film is working too hard. Way too hard â" this thing is melodrama running a marathon.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is an immensely disturbing and tragic morality tale, which focuses on the consequences and repercussions of a sinister act driven by greed.
At a time when family movies are usurped by fantasies of sentimental feelgood, Lumet's latest -- the mangled-heist melodrama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead -- delivers a swift kick straight to the jewels.
( ... ) so perversely fun that a few false notes-a pushy score and certain moments that veer toward a cheaper kind of melodrama-don't nag as much as they might have.
The movie's title comes from the Irish toast, 'May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead.' Unfortunately, everyone in the film is running about 35 minutes late.
