Before the Devil Knows You're Dead



Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is a 2007 Psychological Thriller directed by Sidney Lumet starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris and Amy Ryan, scored by Carter Burwell.


 * A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Man, if Hank had only stuck to the plan...
 * He'd have been shot by his own mother.
 * A Simple Plan
 * Downer Ending:, and everybody who's still alive is facing a bleak, meaningless existence for the rest of their lives.
 * Further, it's pointed out in the commentary that.
 * Fake American: Brit Albert Finney plays Hank and Andy's father.
 * Idiosyncratic Wipes
 * IKEA Erotica: The opening sex scene is played with such passionless blandness that it's almost painful. Arguably a case of Tropes Are Not Bad, though, as it's utilized to offer a window into Andy's psyche rather than simply being boring.
 * Plethora of Mistakes
 * R-Rated Opening: The opening shot is a sex scene between Marisa Tomei and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
 * Shout-Out: "Did you touch anything?" "I don't think so." "You don't THINK SO?" very closely echoes a similar conversation in Lumet's Family Business.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: It's about as far from idealism as you can get and still be considered realist.
 * Tragedy: The happiest it ever gets is when Hank and Andy first hatch the scheme to rob their parents' jewelry store.
 * Tragic Mistake: In the overall scheme of things, the robbery, and within that, brining in Bobby Lasorda to do the actual robbery.
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Andy and Gina. Strangely, she's the insecure one in need of his assurance that he loves her. And with good reason, as he's so pre-occupied with his problems that he's completely oblivious to how unhappy she is--and that she's having an affair with his brother.
 * Villain Protagonist: Andy.