Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

[gogoblender 3,068]

I'm almost wishing I hadn't seen this movie. I don't think I've seen anything this disparaging about the human race in a long time. In fact, I don't think there was even one person who had anything close to what we would even call a moral. Which makes me ask...what does it take to make us do really evil things? This movie was made and Directed by Sidney Lumet, a director who's made many movies (anyone remember Verdict?) and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman (evil dude from last mission impossible...can be creepy), Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney. It's about two brothers in the midst of financial and spiritual crises and what they're willing to do to solve their problems. In this case, they decide to rob their parents. Yes, that's right, their parents. So... after Hoffman (course it's him who starts off this coil) coerces his brother, Hawke to rob their parents' jewelry store, the tale begins, and it's relentless.

 

 

The movie is very long. Two hours. And it's something I think the director purposely did. There were times when I was expecting an edit...but there was none. Instead, we had to arduously labor along with the characters during times that seemed almost painful to watch. I then realized that this was purposely done. That evil starts like this, in small steps. It grows, and you don't realize that you're on a path so much darker than what it was you first started up on until you're committed full bore, and that's when the horror sets in. I remember thinking at times, why, why am I watching this. There is something compelling about seeing a tragedy like this. You're eventually wondering, what can possibly happen that can be worse than we've already seen? And Lument proudly presents another twist, a jab to draw even more pain out of his cast as well as us, the viewers.

 

It's an awesome tale of destruction. I have to use the words awesome here because, this is in fact the other side of the coin of life. And while we, being human, need positive influences to encourage us to keep toiling away, when you see directed events like this that show us what happens when every facet of human negativity is brought to light, you can't help feeling breathing a sigh of relief and thinking..." Glad it's not me!" And is that so bad? We realize during these moments that the axe has fallen, call it fate, destiny, choice whatever...and for the characters in this movie, that axe falls hard. I can't help somehow thinking that maybe the reason I liked the movie so much was this horrible relief of "glad it's not me"

 

Does seeing movies like this keep us strong, so that we try to be better people, try to make the right choices? I don't know. At the end of the movie when you hear the jeweler's final lines to the bereaved father....the evil that we're capable of.... It scares me.

 

Yeah, I was a wreck after watching this movie, and for good reasons.

 

Recommended viewing

 

 

gogo

[gogoblender 3,068]

I'm bumping this because it's a good movie and I want all of you to watch it.

 

 

gogo

[fRACTAL 0]

Suffer Not The Bump To Live!

(I'll give this a look just for you gogo , and 2 hours isn't long:)

~Doom

[tomi 0]

The movie is very long. Two hours.

 

lol

 

Ohh I'll maybe check it too. Or if not me than I'll recommend it to my parents.

[gogoblender 3,068]

Forgotten I'd written this so long ago

He's put together some great movies, this is probably the one, besides Magnolia that'll keep his memory alive for me

RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman

 

 

gogo

[Flix 5,116]

That's some eloquent expression of thoughts on life in that first post, Gogo. Didn't know you had it in you! (no offense, just we're always talking about Sacred and food I guess lol).

 

Sucks about losing Hoffman. Saw his supposed last photo...looked pretty rough. Despite playing a range of great roles, comedy, drama, he seemed troubled.

 

 

"If you're a human being walking the earth, you're weird, you're strange, you're psychologically challenged." - PSH

Edited February 3, 2014 by Flix

[gogoblender 3,068]

hahaha, Flix, see what movies like that do to me?

I remember actually doing a search years back to see where he was coming from with his acting... he was in the strangest roles, and yet he was completely natural in them, guess it's a talent.

Read some more about his death today, found with a syringe in his arm, this becomes kind of like a frame shot from before the devil knows you're dead

I bet his troubled nature gave him the humbility needed to take on the really demanding roles...there are some real tearing clips out there...

and if anyone hasn't seen magnolia... get ready for a real soul tearer

 

 

gogo