Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Submitted by 33tek t3_yfj83l in movies

Any love for this movie? It clearly went under the radar because of the year it was released. 2007 had No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Ratatouille, Atonement, etc. Probably my favorite year for film, and this movie just emphasized that for me.

I gave it a go because of Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and after watching, I'd definitely put this movie in my top 5 heist films. It has a great score, it's really well-acted and it feels very stripped back compared to other heist films. There are no fancy action sequences, which I found refreshing. I highly recommend this movie as a sort of 'hidden gem' and I hope to hear your thoughts about it in the comments!

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33tek OP t1_iu3n9xp wrote

Fun fact: this movie stars 2 Aunt May's

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specbravo t1_iu3nkzb wrote

Great flick. Just seen it recently. The beginning and end is so tense with a lot of great performances.

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bobpetersen55 t1_iu44fhm wrote

I loved this movie! It's such a well crafted movie and I love the 'Rashomon' style the story employs. Philip Seymour Hoffman stole the show and his meltdown in the second half, as tragic as it was, is quite sardonic. But an excellent swansong this was for Sidney Lumet, reminding us why he was one of the greatest directors of his time. An underrated, overlooked gem that was a highlight of that year's best. It deserves to be checked out and discovered.

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Ok_Astronomer_8359 t1_iu59oa4 wrote

Along with Zodiac, released that same year, its definitely among the most underrated movies.

2007 was truly a brilliant year in film. With streaming turning movies to rubbish and only comic book movies getting decent budgets, production and being released to cinemas its depressing that a year like 2007 will never happen again in film.

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slardybartfast8 t1_iu5hgal wrote

Saw it in theaters. I remember thinking it was excellent but I haven’t seen it since.

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the_lazy_archer t1_iu5kwxg wrote

Oh yes. This is one I watch every few years.

It’s a perfect portrait of a desperate person trying to claw out of the consequences of bad choices, only to make things tragically worse. Love this film.

It’s harder to watch since Hoffman passed, though.

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doctorslices t1_iu5r7t9 wrote

Replying to Ok_Astronomer_8359 (#290,695)

Totally insane year for film:

  • There Will Be Blood
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Assassination of Jesse James
  • Zodiac
  • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
  • Gone Baby Gone

Even the more lighthearted stuff was awesome:

  • Hot Fuzz
  • Ratatouille
  • Superbad
  • Walk Hard
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Other-Marketing-6167 t1_iu6e2ml wrote

Fantastic film. Everything from performances to direction to editing to the script is on all cylinders. Just got lost in the shuffle of being a great crime film in a year of a dozen other great crime films.

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bones_is_innocent t1_iu77tl4 wrote

I love this movie and I agree, as cliche as it sounds around here, this movie definitely isn't appreciated enough!

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Mali_Bootay t1_iufwdhc wrote

I just watched this movie today after seeing this post. I was not disappointed.

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