Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Reviewed by:
Gene Newman

The Skinny: Two desperate brothers, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, rob their parents' jewelry store in an effort to salvage their miserable loser lives. Things go horribly wrong.

Reminded Us Of… Dog Day Afternoon, A Simple Plan, what would probably happen to us if we ever planned a caper this heartless.

The Good: The acting is great, and legendary director Sidney Lumet's way of telling the story, which jumps all over the place, makes a conventional heist-gone-wrong flick fresh and exciting. Right when you think the characters have hit the bottom, there's still a lot more room to fall.

Bonus Good! Marisa Tomei, who's looking incredibly hot, spends much of her time naked. Our cousin Vinny would be shocked…and erect!

The Bad: The movie opens with a very flabby Hoffman railing Tomei from behind. It's a high price to pay to see her this naked.

Best Extra: The half hour documentary "Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made" succinctly outlines almost everything that went into making the movie. There's also a commentary with Lumet, Hawke, and Hoffman.