Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
82%RT Audience Score: 71%
Awards & Nominations: 17 wins & 27 nominations
A tense and effective thriller, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead marks a triumphant return to form for director Sidney Lumet
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” is a heist movie that will make you feel like you’re running late for something important. The film’s title comes from an Irish toast, but the characters in the movie are about 35 minutes behind schedule. Sidney Lumet, the director, hasn’t lost his touch for gritty New York stories that end in tears. The movie is dark, depressing, and cynical, but the acting is sublime. It’s a bad script, but Philip Seymour Hoffman manages to elicit sympathy for his character, who is coated with a thick layer of disgust. Overall, it’s an original, modern, and classic film that will restore your faith in gritty crime movies.
Production Company(ies)
Complete Fiction Media Rights Capital,
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
47th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 4, 2008
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Sidney Lumet, Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S Gilmore, Kelly Masterson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris, Brian F O’Byrne, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Ben Kenigsberg, Jordan Hoffman, Christopher Orr, Alonso Duralde, Sandra Hall, Jas Keimig, Mike Massie, Carlos Marañón, Richard Propes, David Lamble, R-rated, $7.1M, box office performance, debt-ridden broker, perfect crime, robbery, family patriarch, justice, New York City, non-sequential execution, intense, outstanding performances, tragic, Shakespearean proportions
Worldwide gross: $25,038,466
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $35,869,303
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,490
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,911,592
US/Canada gross: $7,084,227
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,148,636
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,610
US/Canada opening weekend: $73,837
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $105,777
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,911
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $25,786,222
Production budget ranking: 1,232
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,885,881
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,802,800
ROI to date (est.): -10%
ROI ranking: 1,445
Ethan Hawke – Hank
Marisa Tomei – Gina
Albert Finney – Charles
Rosemary Harris – Nanette
Brian F. O’Byrne – Bobby
Director(s)
Sidney Lumet
Writer(s)
Kelly Masterson
Producer(s)
Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
17 wins & 27 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (179) | Top Critics (55) | Fresh (158) | Rotten (21)
I enjoyed it all the way through the last second.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: A-
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Suspense and action would be enough to seal this film, but the feeling of dread, that under different circumstances this could be us, makes this a heist picture for the ages.
August 14, 2009 | Rating: A-
Jordan Hoffman
UGO
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s title comes from the Irish toast, ‘May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.’ Unfortunately, everyone in the film is running about 35 minutes late.
September 18, 2008
Christopher Orr
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead won’t do much for anyone’s feelings about human nature, but it will definitely restore your faith in gritty crime movies.
May 1, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC
TOP CRITIC
The film’s director, Sidney Lumet, is 83 but he hasn’t lost his feel for bleak New York stories programmed to end in tears.
March 21, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Maybe it’s just a bad script. That said, I love the way Hoffman manages to elicit sympathy for his character, a role coated with a thick layer of disgust. In one scene, he has an emotional breakdown in a car that makes the whole film worth watching.
December 8, 2021
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Dark, depressing, cynical, and supremely well acted.
November 24, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Original, modern and classic at the same time… The actors’ direction is sublime. [Full review in Spanish]
November 5, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Carlos Marañón
Cinemanía (Spain)
Lumet has created one of his most exciting and emotionally resonant films in quite a few years.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Sydney Lumet uses a fractured storytelling technique to get to the bottom of this family train-wreck.
May 26, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
A sleazy yet intriguing thriller where bad people continue to make major mistakes that manage to shatter their lives and everyone’s around them.
October 29, 2019 | Rating: A-
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News…
Plot
Needing extra cash, two brothers conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers an outstanding performance in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.
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