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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as criminal brothers whose botched heist leads to escalating turmoil, in Sidney Lumet's twisty thriller.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Overview
Legendary Hollywood director Sidney Lumet’s final film is as blistering as any young director’s. In desperate need of money, brothers Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke rob a ‘mom and pop’ jewelry store – only it belongs to their own mom and pop. Murder and time-tripping editing ensue; and Albert Finney’s paterfamilias is as displeased as in any Greek tragedy.
Lumet’s 50s-TV-forged naturalism finds its Jacobean alter ego.
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