BFI Player is now available on more TV apps

Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 15 rating

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as criminal brothers whose botched heist leads to escalating turmoil, in Sidney Lumet's twisty thriller.

Thriller 2008 117 mins

Director: Sidney Lumet

CC

Overview

Legendary Hollywood director Sidney Lumet’s final film is as blistering as any young director’s. In desperate need of money, brothers Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke rob a ‘mom and pop’ jewelry store – only it belongs to their own mom and pop. Murder and time-tripping editing ensue; and Albert Finney’s paterfamilias is as displeased as in any Greek tragedy. Lumet’s 50s-TV-forged naturalism finds its Jacobean alter ego.

Accessibility