Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

****

11/9/07
by Scott Cupper

Andy………………….Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hank………………….Ethan Hawke
Charles……………….Albert Finney
Nanette………………..Rosemary Harris
Bobby………….……. Bryan F. O’Byrne
Dex…………………...Michael Shannon

Directed by Sidney Lumet
Written by Kelly Masterson

Rated R
Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min.


Here’s a Rube Goldberg Movie that works. You remember Rube Goldberg, right? He was the cartoonist who drew complex contraptions to perform simple things like getting olives out of a jar. There are a number of movies that I label this way: House of Sand and Fog, A Simple Plan, In the Bedroom, and most recently, The Brave One. These movies all take their average, everyday characters and move them toward an outlandish, often violent, conclusion. I like some of these, others not so much, but none do I feel really work. I always felt that the script was a contraption that the characters were being forced to use. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead lets the characters create the contraption and observes as they use it.

Characters are often pawns, but these characters live and breathe. They make choices that are irrational. They reveal themselves with their words and movements. Their past is as tangible an element as the present. It’s this attention to the past that is a large part of the movie’s success. In the grand scheme of things, we knew little about Jodie Foster’s character in The Brave One. In Before the Devil… we feel that each character has been dealt their part and we’re here to watch them as they reach the inexorable conclusion.

Why do I suspect a playwright when I witness this care for character in a movie? And why am I correct? Screenwriter Kelly Masterson is a playwright. This is his only produced screenplay and I found no evidence that he has more coming. I imagine that will change. Much has been written about what a movie and what a play can accomplish, but none of it convinces me that such a dichotomy exists. Certainly not Sidney Lumet’s career which is sprinkled with play adaptations (12 Angry Men anyone?).

So when am I going to get around to talking about the movie? It’s difficult. There is so much to mention about the movie that it’s easy not to deal with any specifics, particularly when I don’t want to reveal, well, anything. But to give an idea: Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) are brothers, both in need of money. Though the movie jumps around in time, the plot is fairly straightforward. Andy and Hank hatch a plan to rob their parents’ jewelry store. They know the layout, the people involved, it should be easy and safe. Naturally, everything goes awry.

It may feel like I’ve revealed too much. I haven’t. A bank robbery in another movie would be the climax. It is nothing more than a catalyst here and is almost incidental. It’s when we meet Albert Finney as the father that we realize this isn’t a heist movie at all. It’s a family drama.

The performances in this movie are nothing short of amazing but I don’t want to go into detail. The joy of the movie comes from discovering who these people are, the dynamics of their relationships and how these elements propel them. Let it suffice to say that any and all of the leads deserve whatever award nominations they receive.

I was surprised that the performances elicited some chortles from the audience at parts that were clearly not meant to be humorous. I believe that the rawness of the performances made them uncomfortable. An actor friend of mine told me a story about a non-actor he knew who decided he would take a small role in a production. A bit into the rehearsal process, he confessed to my friend that he had thought that acting was getting up and saying things in a cool way, but he found it to be a lot more than that. It’s a lesson these audience members could stand to learn. There is nothing cool about these characters. They are ugly people in ugly situations doing ugly things. The actors are perfect.

There’s a voyeuristic thrill to Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Writer Kelly Masterson has tied these characters into a Gordian Knot and shown Sidney Lumet the end which he relishes pulling slowly. When you begin with a robbery, it’s hard to believe there’s anywhere to go, but Mr. Masterson shows us that the bottom is a lot deeper than we think. It is a gruesome journey, but I dare you to look away.