Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
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A desperate man's attempt to flee his life leads to a series of escalating crimes and a tragic family unraveling.
The story
Facing an upcoming audit that will reveal he has been embezzling money from his employer, payroll manager Andy Hanson decides to flee to Brazil. To raise the funds he needs, he enlists the aid of his brother, Hank, a divorced father who desperately needs money to pay child support. Hank is well-meaning but easily dominated by Andy, a ruthless schemer. Andy, in turn, resents his younger and more attractive brother, whom their parents favored. Andy plans to have Hank rob their parents' jewelry store, describing it as a victimless crime because the store is insured. Hank reluctantly agrees to the plan, and the brothers begin a desperate, high-stakes scheme to secure their futures.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Andy Hanson, a payroll manager facing an audit for embezzlement, enlists his brother Hank to help him raise money to flee to Brazil. They plan to rob their parents' jewelry store. Hank hires a thief named Bobby, but a confrontation occurs when their mother, Nanette, is working at the store; she kills Bobby, but is mortally wounded in the process. Meanwhile, Andy's wife Gina reveals she is leaving him for Hank. As the audit pressure mounts, Andy and Hank commit more crimes, including robbing a heroin dealer and a man named Dex. After a series of violent escalations, Andy is hospitalized. His father, Charles, finds him and, after a tense exchange where Andy admits he felt like an outsider, Charles kills Andy with a pillow. Hank survives the ordeal but is left haunted by the violence.
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sidney Lumet
- Writers
- Kelly Masterson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Philip Seymour Hoffman · Andy; Ethan Hawke · Hank; Marisa Tomei · Gina; Albert Finney · Charles
- Genres
- crime thriller; crime drama
- Themes
- family dysfunction; criminal ineptitude; betrayal
- Tone and mood
- tense; noir
- Premise and plot tags
- heist; nonlinear narrative; crime
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, being described as a tense and effective thriller and a triumphant return to form for Sidney Lumet. It was featured on numerous critics' top 10 lists and received high scores on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · scale: percentage · review count: 180; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.8 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 86 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- American Film Institute Awards · one of 2007's ten best American films · 2007 · win; Boston Society of Film Critics Award · Best Cast · 2007 · win; Gotham Independent Film Award · Best Ensemble Cast · 2007 · win; Satellite Award · Best Cast – Motion Picture · 2007 · win
- Production trivia
- The title is derived from an Irish saying.; It was Sidney Lumet's final film before his death in 2011.; The primary robbery scene was filmed at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center in Bayside, Queens.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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