Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Last year the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men deservedly received high critical acclaim and garnered numerous awards, including an Oscar for Javier Bardem, one of my favorite actors. The film's message, about the uselessness of violence and venality, was something the Coen Brothers had explored before, but I had not seen them look at its traumatizing effect on people. Much as I liked No Country for Old Men, I was mystified as to exactly why the traumatized character (a sheriff played by Tommy Lee Jones) was so affected. Was he predisposed to it? Was it the sheer excess? Was it his impotence? Regardless, the film was an artistic and commercial success: per Wikipedia, its theatrical run has grossed $72.6 million in the US alone.

A few days ago I was fortunate enough to see a true masterpiece whose theme ran along the same vein as No Country for Old Men: it was Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. I was astounded that this remarkable film was missed in 2007 — at least by the public. It grossed a mere $24 million worldwide and is now in DVD release.

The critics adored this movie: it appeared on many top ten lists in 2007. Ty Burr of the Wall Street Journal wrote "There's no larger message other than that greed gives us something to hold on to even as it kills us." A crime drama and a moral thriller, the film, per the Washington Posts's Ann Hornaday, "gets almost too ugly to watch, as events unravel into a Grand Guignol of seedy comeuppance." Almost too ugly, but not quite. The emotional dysfunction, deceit, violence, and eventual denouement are positively riveting.

The movie is populated by villains: they are venal, greedy, unthinking, careless, neglectful, unfaithful... their character flaws and sins are horrid; the violence they commit unspeakable. Yet what makes this movie truly remarkable is that the audience can understand — and relate to — the characters' motivations.

Having Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Alfred Finney lead in a film directed by Nichols would seem to guarantee its success: I wonder why this gem was missed.