Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Phil - Wait for the Video

Carol - Wait for the Video

Hard to categorize, this film struggles to be thriller and morality play but languishes somewhere in between. Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney overwhelm the script – each dominating their respective roles in apparent competition for the lead. Not a film better than the sum of its parts, it lacks the direction needed to succeed

First you should know that the acting in this film is flawless. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke portray man of the world and spoiled, protected youngest child respectively. Marisa Tomei is the love figure (literally) of the film and Albert Finney is at once tender and evil. So, what’s not to like? The story is dark and twisted following so many roads that this reviewer needed paper and pencil to keep it straight. When you have to work that hard at viewing a movie, you need time to re-wind it several times.