Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Plot of Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: Andy Hanson and Hank Hanson are brothers, both of whom are having financial problems. Andy has been embezzling the funds of the company he works for as a director of finance, using the money to fund a serious drug problem. Hank is strapped for cash since as a divorcee he is attempting to fulfil the ambitious expensive requirements of his daughter. Hank is also having an affair with Andy’s wife. Andy comes up with a plan for a victimless crime. Their parents own a jewellery store in a small suburban shopping complex which he suggests that Hank should rob, using a toy gun. Afterwards the family will be able to get the insurance money. Andy says he cannot do the robbery himself because he is known in the area. Hank hires a former thief to actually do the job, while he drives the getaway car, which he hires. When the robbery takes place, it turns out that the assistant who should have opened up has been replaced by the boy’s mother, who is shot when the job goes wrong, managing to kill the robber as her last act. In hospital the mother has to have her life support turned off and the robber’s widow and her brother are demanding money from Andy and Hank. How much worse can it get?

Content: Some sex and female nudity as we see the wife, Gina, dong it with both her husband and Hank (not at the same time). Andy is seen snorting coke in his office and engaging in more serious injected drugs in a heroin dealer’s luxury pad. The brothers have meetings in a local bar where they drink beer. There is an exchange of gunfire in the store and more when Andy and Hank meet with the widow and her brother. Distress in the family as the mother has to be turned off. Andy has a marital breakdown, in addition to all else, and falls out with his father who grimly begins to track down the perpetrators of the crime.

A View: This outing was generally feted by the critics as one might expect from a film involving both Sidney Lumet and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It probably broke even in the end if we include the publicity costs. It is presented in segments from different viewpoints which is slightly weird and the tendency in Spain for channels to randomly cut bits out of their presentations made it even more difficult to follow. So past the motivation to obtain some money easily some of the character’s actions were a bit difficult to follow. But probably a watch if you can make the full 117 minutes available.

Fun Fact: Marisa Tomei said the was prepared to do the sex scenes  so that she could work with Sidney Lumet.