#63 - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Holy crap.

I certainly didn't expect to see Philip Seymour Hoffman's naked ass giving it to Marisa Tomei right off the bat.  Then, not ten minutes later, we see the aftermath of Ethan Hawke's naked ass giving it to Marisa Tomei.  Guess which one was hotter?

Last night, after I watched the incredibly mediocre Separate Tables, my brothers and I watched the second installment of the BBC Series Sherlock, which was infinitely more enjoyable.  Tonight on the docket are Buffalo Wild Wings for my brother Matt's upcoming birthday (awesome) and the 3rd and final episode of Series 1 of the show.  I'm really excited.

As I've been waiting for all that to happen, I finished reading The Great Gatsby (a good thing, since I'm teaching it this semester), listened to an Of Montreal album I purchased, and decided to watch Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a movie of which I've had high expectations for awhile now.  Others have told me how much they enjoyed the film, so we'll see if it lives up to those expectations.

I just want to say one thing before I get started a little more: I'm glad that Marisa Tomei keeps getting work, because I think she's fabulous.  Of course she's amazing in My Cousin Vinny, but I've been lucky enough to have seen her and been fond of her work in The Wrestler and In the Bedroom. 

Hoffman and Hawke are great, as well, as brothers who arrange to rob their parents' jewelry store (no fuss, no muss: a victimless crime) to make some money they desperately need.  Unsurprisingly, things don't quite go according to plan, and the next 100 minutes are spent re-living the days before the crime, and the unraveling of their actions.  Albert Finney plays the father betrayed by his sons with veteran precision.

The first half of the film, for me, doesn't really get moving.  But it becomes very apparent later that the purpose of the first half is really just to set up the second half for all the shit that's about to go down.  I know: that sounds like it's the purpose of any film, but I assure you, this is different.  Every slow moment in the first half, every seemingly extraneous detail, is recalled in the second half to bring the film to a satisfying conclusion.

Score: 8/10