Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Quote of the day:
"What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?"
--The Beatles

Quote of the day no. 2:
“Criticism is tradition defending itself against the three armies of the Goddess Stupidity: the army of amateurs who are ignorant of tradition; the army of conceited eccentrics who believe tradition should be suppressed by a stroke of the pen in order that true art may begin with them; and the army of academicians who believe they maintain tradition by a servile imitation of the past.”
--W.H. Auden

Movie making is seen as mostly a business of trying to reach those from 12 to 25 years old, who go to movies much more than the rest of us. In spite of this, the number of adult-themed films we see each year seems to grow. This is a good thing.

“Before the Devil Knows Your Dead” really stands out as an adult film, because it is so emotionally intense you can almost taste it. It reminded me of “Secrets and Lies,” “In the Bedroom” and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Excellent movies all.

Emotional intensity is the last thing a lot of people want when they go to the movies. especially during the holidays, when we get enough of that from our own families. Nonetheless, there was a good crowd when we went to see it the other night.

The plot is fairly straightforward. A crime is planned, and it goes terribly wrong. The negative consequences slowly unfold, and we watch as all the participants have to deal with them.

Sidney Lumet is the most-veteran American director still at work, and he has structured this movie in an unusual way. It jumps around in time and among character points of view.

As I watched, the story seemed to be unfolding in a certain way and then it would switch to a different time period and a different character.

It might seem that this would be disruptive and disconcerting, and it was a bit the first two or three times it happened. But I didn’t much notice it after that. I became very interested in the people on the screen.

There is a powerfully contemporary thread that holds this movie together, and that thread is woven through all the characters.

Every single actor is excellent. These are the best performances I’ve ever seen from Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Albert Finney is worth the price of admission.

Do yourself a favor. See “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.”