Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Play trailer

Poster for

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

R

2007

1h 56m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

180 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a debt-ridden broker, needs some quick cash. He ropes his younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke), into a scheme to commit the perfect crime: to rob their parents' (Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris) jewelry store. The scheme goes horribly awry, and the family patriarch takes justice into his own hands, unaware that the criminals he is hunting are his own sons.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A tense and effective thriller, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead marks a triumphant return to form for director Sidney Lumet.

Read Critics Reviews

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

A-

I enjoyed it all the way through the last second.

Go to Full Review

Jordan Hoffman

UGO

08/14/2009

A-

Suspense and action would be enough to seal this film, but the feeling of dread, that under different circumstances this could be us, makes this a heist picture for the ages.

Go to Full Review

Christopher Orr

The New Republic

09/18/2008

The movie's title comes from the Irish toast, 'May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead.' Unfortunately, everyone in the film is running about 35 minutes late.

Go to Full Review

Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 12

4/5

A hectic unraveling of two men whose very different lives bring them to the same violent head.

Go to Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

08/29/2024

10/10

Told with force and assurance, hewing to primal archetypes of family and fate; economy of means; elegance of composition; a sense of time and place that is immediately coherent and memorable; a bracing sense of humor.

Go to Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

03/17/2024

3.4/4

Fortunately, [Sidney] Lumet's hard work has paid off this time around--the title comes from the Irish toast, "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead"--and he's currently at work on his 45th feature in 50 years.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Steven S.

@stevesneed 3d

Not a good movie. Wasted 2 hours.

See more

Charlie B

@Charlieberens Dec 13

This was the most stressful movie I have ever watched. It was an incredibly unpleasant viewing experience.

See more

Jessica M

Nov 22

Good film - at first I didn’t know what I was watching with the time back and forth. Then after a hour I could start to see the pattern forming- thrilling whilst being poignant and a good balance of both. Fantastic acting with a stellar cast.

See more

Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 17

I need to watch it again, because I don't really remember all the details, but I think it was cool.

See more

Carlos I

Nov 16

This is an intense and bleak masterpiece of a film, a gripping exploration of greed and familial collapse that makes for an awesome thriller. Brilliantly dissects the events surrounding a disastrous robbery from multiple, agonizing perspectives, showing how one terrible decision spirals into devastating consequences for everyone involved. Lumet sure went out with a bang.

See more

Tracy U

Jul 28

Lumet has created one of his most exciting and emotionally resonant films in quite a few years.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Sidney Lumet

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Andy Hanson

Ethan Hawke

Hank

Marisa Tomei

Gina

Albert Finney

Charles

Rosemary Harris

Nanette

Lucky Number Slevin

52%

87%

Lucky Number Slevin

Watchlist

Mr. Brooks

56%

76%

Mr. Brooks

Watchlist

No Country for Old Men

93%

86%

No Country for Old Men

Watchlist

Law Abiding Citizen

26%

75%

Law Abiding Citizen

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Law Abiding Citizen

Gone Baby Gone

94%

86%

Gone Baby Gone

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Watch Online: Beauty and the Beast, American Vandal, The Lost City of Z, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Rank Marisa Tomei’s 10 Best Movies

Ethan Hawke’s 10 Best Movies

View more photos

Synopsis

Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a debt-ridden broker, needs some quick cash. He ropes his younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke), into a scheme to commit the perfect crime: to rob their parents' (Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris) jewelry store. The scheme goes horribly awry, and the family patriarch takes justice into his own hands, unaware that the criminals he is hunting are his own sons.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Producer: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, Paul Parmar, William S. Gilmore
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Production Co: Capitol Films, Funky Buddha Productions, Unity Productions
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Nudity|Strong Graphic Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.1M
Runtime: 1h 56m

Most Popular at Home Now