BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD

In this heist-gone-wrong flick, Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman play two brothers who plan a ‘victimless crime.’ Desperate to solve their respective financial problems ‘ overdue childcare payments and drug debts ‘ the pair plot the robbery of a suburban jewellery store. The action takes place paradoxically close to home: the store is owned by their parents, a happy couple who have no idea about the dirtier details of their sons’ lives. When their hastily-laid plan inevitably misfires, the real drama begins. Betrayal, deceit, and addiction are uncovered as the family members try to find their own ways out of the catastrophe. Hoffman and Hawke are excellent, and Albert Finney, as the father, gives a standout performance in this well-paced, intelligent crime drama.

(Sunday Francis-Reiss)