Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a film that you probably know very little about, if anything at all. But you should absolutely go out of your way to see it. There are a couple of giant reasons why; the first being that 83 year old Sidney Lumet is one of the all-time great auteurs in the history of American cinema and he consistently manages to reinvent his craft on seemingly every project. Lumet has brought us screen classics such as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, and Network; as well as a series of lesser known films that are often as enjoyable as the classics. The second reason you should check this movie out is for the incredibly intense and daring performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and the resurgent Marisa Tomei. Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney also star in this simple yet nuanced character study about how four individuals cope with a catastrophic mishap that shatters the normalcy of their lives.

The plan was simple. Brothers Andy and Hank Hansen knew their parent’s suburban jewelry store like the back of their hands. Every aspect of its daily operation, ranging from the layout of the store to the routine of the workers, was of common knowledge. So what if knocking it over put a short-term crimp on the well-being of the business? Both the store and the jewelry were safely insured, meaning their parents would make out alright at the end of the day. But a simple twist of fate in the form of a royal fuck-up leaves the bag man dead, and the lives of Andy and Hank go from bad to blow-your-brains-out awful when learning that their mother had unexpectedly been working in the store during the robbery; and that she, too, had died.

Opting to break away from the confines of the traditional linear narrative, Lumet skillfully depicts the harrowing conflict and its devastating effects from the viewpoints of Andy, Hank, and their grieving father Charles in a rotating series of perspectives that emphasizes the deterioration of their individual situations. Tinkering with the ebb and flow of a film’s narrative is always a big risk for any filmmaker, but the startlingly good original screenplay from first-timer Kelly Masterson is tight and does not come close to losing focus or drifting in any of the three acts. Consequently, Sidney Lumet and his actors are allowed to thrive within the determined parameters of the script. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, for example, is a moderately successful real estate broker who finds himself in a bit of a mid-life crisis. His wife is having an affair with his brother and he knows that big changes in their lives will be required to prevent her from leaving. Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny) provides a riveting and highly erotic performance that should put her back on the map.

Ethan Hawke, though not quite as electric as a couple of his co-stars, puts up a solid performance as Andy’s younger brother Hank, but it is Hoffman that turns in one of the better performances in an already terrific career. Though perhaps not as inwardly challenging as playing Truman Capote, Hoffman will nonetheless make you squirm in your seat with this abrasive character that has seemingly no conscience or empathy for anyone. The simple conception of a plan that calls for the robbing of your own parent’s jewelry store provides an intriguing and thought provoking aspect to this film. In an age of broad political corruption, massive white collar crime, and unapologetic profiteering by business executives; the complex character of Andy Hansen is really not much of a stretch when you think about it. Indeed, if you liked Christian Bale’s role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, then you will undoubtedly love Hoffman in this film.

The true beauty of Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is that it is a new film, yet feels like one of those great films from the 60’s or 70’s. The plot is simple and there are very few tricks or turns exuded in the filmmaking process. Yet flawless direction combined with a couple Oscar worthy performances makes this as dramatic and intense a film as any I have seen this year. It’s difficult to determine whether or not the Academy will recognize this film when the time comes to pick the Chosen Few. Either way, Lumet has done it yet again. Like his previous film, Find Me Guilty, the audience is treated to an emotional rollercoaster that will have you buzzing when leaving the theater. And isn’t that what seeing a movie is all about?

By Chris Virnig