Follow @screenit

"BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD" (2007) (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Heavy Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor None None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Mild Heavy Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama: Things go horribly wrong when two brothers plot to rob a mom and pop jewelry store in the belief that it will be a victimless crime. PLOT: Andy (PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN) and Hank (ETHAN HAWKE) are brothers who are in need of money, but for different reasons. Younger sibling Hank owes money to his ex-wife, Martha (AMY RYAN), to pay for their daughter's schooling and such. Andy and his wife Gina (MARISA TOMEI) don't have kids, but he does have a secret and costly heroin addiction. Accordingly, Andy convinces his brother to go along with what he believes is a perfect, victimless crime -- the knocking off of a small, mom and pop jewelry store where only the insurance company will end up losing out. Since Andy isn't terribly confident, however, he hires thug Bobby (BRIAN F. O'BYRNE) to carry out the actual robbery. Things go wrong, however, when the unexpected woman behind the counter takes on the robber, resulting in both receiving fatal gunshot wounds. Complicating the matter is the fact that the mom and pop owners are actually the brothers' parents, Charles (ALBERT FINNEY) and Nanette (ROSEMARY HARRIS). Realizing they must cover their tracks, the siblings scramble to make sure they've left no evidence, all while having to deal with the repercussions of the choices they've made. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens might be interested, but unless any others are fans of someone in the cast, it's unlikely they'll want to see it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For a scene of strong graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN plays a covert drug addict (heroin, but he also snorts coke and drinks) who masterminds his supposed victimless robbery, and strong-arms Hank into participating. He also uses strong profanity. ETHAN HAWKE plays his younger and less confident brother who reluctantly goes along with the plan, and then panics when things go wrong. He uses strong profanity, drinks some, and is having an affair with Gina. ALBERT FINNEY plays their father, owner of the jewelry store they attempt to rob. Determined to find the culprit(s), he takes matters into his own hands. He uses some profanity. MARISA TOMEI plays Andy's wife who uses strong profanity, and is having an affair with Hank. ROSEMARY HARRIS plays Charles' wife who unwisely tries to stop an armed man from robbing her jewelry store. AMY RYAN plays Hank's ex-wife who isn't happy with him or his tardiness in making his monthly payments to her. BRIAN F. O'BYRNE plays Hank's accomplice who drinks, smokes pot, and is the masked gunman who tries to pull off the robbery and ends up fatally shooting the woman behind the counter. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated crime drama. Profanity consists of at least 78 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, as is the sight of a married couple having sex (nudity, explicit movement, etc.), while other nudity and sexual behavior is also seen. Violence includes various people being shot and wounded or killed, usually with very bloody results, while a man smothers another man with a pillow. Those scenes and moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers, while all sorts of bad attitudes are present, as are various instances of tense family material. Some behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while characters drink and/or smoke, while drug use (heroin, cocaine, pot) also occurs, and characters are seen strung out afterwards. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camerawork in the film, and some bouncy footage from inside a car. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Andy and Hank have beer, while others around them also drink. People have drinks in a restaurant, while Hank's accomplice, Bobby, drinks shots. Bobby smokes a joint. Andy snorts some cocaine. Andy's drug supplier tells him to have a drink, but Andy has tonic water. Andy uses heroin, and we partially see the needle insertion. Andy has beer with dinner. People have drinks at a wake. Hank has a drink. Hank has a beer. Hank drinks in a bar as do others. Andy shows up at his dealer's place for drugs, but is turned away. However, we later see him appearing strung out. A man appears strung out from what's presumably heroin use. BLOOD/GORE A robber and a store owner are both bloody after they shoot each other, and we also see a bloody trail on the floor from the wounded robber. Andy shoots a drug buyer (through a pillow to muffle the sound) on a bed (with bloody results). Some people who are shot are bloody, and we later see a little bit of a bloody bandage on a survivor. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Andy convinces Hank that they should rob their parents' jewelry store, stating that it's a victimless crime (since they have insurance). We see a masked man robbing a jewelry store at gunpoint, yelling and cussing at the older woman behind the counter. Andy uses the term "faggoty" and it's used again later. Andy tries to pressure his dad to pull the plug on his mother who's in intensive care following the shooting, with talk that there's no brain activity (some may view that as being a bad attitude, while others won't). About the gunmen in the botched robbery, Andy asks if he had to take somebody out, why it couldn't have been Charles (rather than his mom). A thug takes (steals) a tip from a restaurant. The brother of the gunman's girlfriend harasses Hank and wants $10,000 from him (and grabs him by the back of the head). Andy's boss talks of irregularities at work, including two fired employees still drawing checks (meaning Andy has been embezzling the money). Hank is having an affair with Gina (his sister-in-law). A man smothers another man with a pillow while the latter lies injured in a hospital bed. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. We see a masked man robbing a jewelry store at gunpoint, yelling and cussing at the older woman behind the counter. After some tense moments, including her reaching for her gun, she shoots him. He then shoots her (both are now bloody) and heads for the front door, with her then shooting him again (he falls through the glass). Hank slowly enters his apartment after finding broken glass at the building entrance. Andy tackles his drug dealer and they struggle. Hank then gets into the action and Andy repeatedly hits the man with a gun. He then shoots a drug buyer (through a pillow to muffle the sound) on the bed (with bloody results), and then the drug dealer (also through the pillow, but without any bloody results seen). Andy holds his gun on a thug who we see has a gun in a pizza box, and that man's girlfriend eyes it. Andy then shoots that thug in the head, and then aims his gun at Hank. The girlfriend then shoots Andy, but he lives. A man smothers another man with a pillow while the latter lies injured in a hospital bed. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Andy's drug supplier answers the door with his handgun drawn. We see a shotgun in a cartoon, and it's fired, but we don't see any impact. We see Charles with a handgun. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I don't feel like such a f*ck-up when I'm here," "Are you f*cked?" "You want me to f*cking shoot you?" "Keep your f*cking hands down," "Don't f*cking move," "You stupid f*ck," "F*ck you," "You're such a f*cking loser," "What the f*ck /is that/is this/am I gonna do/does that mean?" "Who the f*ck are you supposed to be?" "You look like a f*cking asshole," "I'll f*cking learn it," "Pick up the f*cking phone, you f*cking faggot," "Shut the f*ck up," "I asked you a f*cking question," "You're f*cking crazy," "I should f*cking kill you," "A lot more of a f*ck-up than I was," "It's not f*cking fair," "F*cking say something," "I f*cked it all up," "Oh sh*t," "This is bullsh*t," "You got sh*t," "Chicken-sh*t," "No one's gonna give a sh*t," "Faggoty sh*t," "Looks like sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "Shocked as sh*t," "I don't give a sh*t," "How are we gonna fix it so your sh*t doesn't fall on my shoes?" "You didn't know sh*t," "You're a pr*ck," "I'm a lousy lay," "And take it up the ass," "What the hell happened?" "Shut up," "Stupid bitch," "A damn good school," "By the balls," "Faggoty little conscience," "Cajones" and "Balls" (testicles), "Happy ass," "I'll kick your ass," "Simple as a pimple," "Nut case," "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" "How the hell do you know that?" "As serious as a heart attack," "Old ass," "Cut it out with that crap," "Give a damn," "You're a loser" and "Get the hell out of here." The film might inspire some kids to try to pull off their own version of a supposedly victimless crime. We see miscellaneous graffiti. A man smothers another man with a pillow while the latter lies injured in a hospital bed. JUMP SCENES We see a flashback to the robbery where Hank is waiting in the car. There's the sudden sound of a gunshot, followed by the robber crashing through the glass front door. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 78 "f" words (2 used sexually, as is the term "lay"), 24 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 7 asses (3 used with "hole"), 6 hells, 2 damns, 1 crap, 6 uses each of "G-damn" and "Jesus," 5 of "Oh God," 3 of "Jesus Christ," 2 of "Oh Christ" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "God," "My God," "Oh Jesus" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see various views of Andy having vigorous rear-entry sex with Gina while on vacation (including his bare butt, some of hers, her bare breasts, his thrusting, and we hear their related sounds, including climaxing). We then see both of them, shirtless, in bed, and thus we see her bare breasts again. We see Hank lying face down on a bed (we see his bare butt), while Gina is sitting and then standing in just her panties (thus we see her bare breasts). She then playfully asks if she can help him to seconds (of her, sexually), or if he really needs to get back. We see Bobby in his briefs, while his wife is in just a night shirt. Failed or unsatisfying sex is suggested between Hank and Gina, with her saying she's a "lousy lay." That phrase is used again, and we see her bare breasts and then in a tank-top that's partially see-through. We see the side of Gina's bare butt in bed. She then rocks rhythmically, sucks on a man's finger, and they do some passionate kissing. Gina shows some cleavage. We see Hank in his boxers. Andy comes home to find Gina with a packed suitcase. She then asks if he knows she's been having an affair, that she's been "f*cking" another guy, and that every certain period of time, "we get together and f*ck." About their crime, Andy says that Hank can sit there, wait, go to jail, and then "take it up the ass." SMOKING Charles smokes at least 2 times, while Andy smokes once (seen in the same scene, twice). A poster on the wall shows a hand holding a lit cigar. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Hank has a bad relationship with his ex, Martha, and she's upset that he owes her 3 months of payments for their daughter's school. Andy tries to pressure his dad to pull the plug on his mother who's in intensive care following the shooting, with talk that there's no brain activity (some may view that as being a bad attitude, while others won't). Charles then decides to let her go, and we then see the resultant funeral scene. About Hank canceling her trip, his daughter says that he's a loser. About the gunmen in the botched robbery, Andy asks if he had to take somebody out, why it couldn't have been Charles (rather than his mom). Charles apologizes to Andy about not being the father he wanted, and there's talk that Hank was favored over Andy. Andy then asks Charles if he's sure he's his son, prompting Charles to slap him. Later, Andy cries over his father not apologizing for everything else. Andy comes home to find Gina with a packed suitcase. She then asks if he knows she's been having an affair, that she's been "f*cking" another guy, and that every certain period of time, "we get together and f*ck." Spoiler Alert: A man smothers his son with a pillow while the son lies injured in a hospital bed. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT So-called victimless crimes. Drug use. Affairs. It's heavily suggested that Andy's drug supplier is gay. Andy tries to pressure his dad to pull the plug on his mother who's in intensive care following the shooting, with talk that there's no brain activity. Hank thinks of overdosing (based on what's transpired). VIOLENCE We see a masked man robbing a jewelry store at gunpoint, yelling and cussing at the older woman behind the counter. After some tense moments, including her reaching for her gun, she shoots him. He then shoots her (both are now bloody) and heads for the front door, with her then shooting him again (he falls through the glass). We see a flashback to the robbery where Hank is waiting in the car. There's the sudden sound of a gunshot, followed by the robber crashing through the glass front door. In a cartoon, one duck character hits another. Charles purposefully backs his car into a police car (being upset that no progress has been made in his wife's case). The brother of the gunman's girlfriend harasses Hank and wants $10,000 from him (and grabs him by the back of the head). Andy asks Charles if he's sure he's his son, prompting Charles to slap him. Andy breaks the glass in an apartment building's entrance buzzer box. Andy knocks various items off a table and such while angry. Andy tackles his drug dealer and they struggle. Hank then gets into the action and Andy repeatedly hits the man with a gun. He then shoots a drug buyer (through a pillow to muffle the sound) on the bed (with bloody results), and then the drug dealer (also through the pillow, but without any bloody results seen). Andy holds his gun on a thug who we see has a gun in a pizza box, and that man's girlfriend eyes it. Andy then shoots that thug in the head, and then aims his gun at Hank. The girlfriend then shoots Andy, but he lives. A man smothers another man with a pillow while the latter lies injured in a hospital bed. Reviewed October 8, 2007 / Posted November 30, 2007

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.