Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

This is a brilliant, just brilliant film here. One of the top five films of the year, and joins Atonement and Assassination as my fav's this year. Sidney Lumet does a great job, showing that he is still capable to make films today. This is a great script by Kelly Masterson and is one of the most original "crime drama's" ever. Is it a crime drama or a dysfunctional family melodrama. It doesn't matter, as it works in both ways. Let me say something again. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the greatest actor in the world today. I cannot understate that enough. He gets the best scripts. Ethan Hawke is, once again, very good. He is also a very underrated actor. Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney also have mesmerizing performances. I love it when i get surprised by a film and this one did that for me. Great screenplay, great director and great performances are all in this film. This film year has about 15-20 very efficient films but it will be difficult to separate the great from the perfect this year. This film was great, and almost perfect.

Grade: A