NOW ON DVD

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
Rated R
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris

Brian’s Rating       

It’s rare that a movie catches me completely off guard, but when I get socked in the jaw and thrown against the wall, I know I’ve seen something worth talking about.

That’s what happened when I saw Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead in theatres, and now it’s out on DVD.

The opening scene features a pudgy Philip Seymour Hoffman and a svelte Marisa Tomei in flagrante delicto. I know I sound like a shameless voyeur, but it is a scene worth talking about and it sets the tone for this raw, brutal look at a robbery and its tragic consequences for one shockingly dysfunctional family.

Other than this startling scene, Tomei’s presence is inconsequential and primarily ornamental, but Hoffman and costars Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney are simply fantastic. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a bold, violent piece of work that simply will not tolerate a neutral position by the viewer.