Every time I review a Sidney Lumet film, I comment on how he isn't a household name and that his resume is one that any director would be envious of. At 83, he adds another film to his resume that any director would be envious of. If he were a twenty-something making his film debut with this crime drama, he would be hailed as the next big thing. The twisting script, written by Kelly Masterson, is innovative and Lumet brings a captivating style to the production that makes the film about its characters not its action.
Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE) is an overweight, cocky businessman with a trophy wife named Gina (Marisa Tomei, MY COUSIN VINNY). He has a nasty drug habit and is stealing money from his company right as an audit is set to take place. His brother Hank (Ethan Hawke, TAPE) works at his firm in a much lower position. He is months behind on his child support payments for which his ex-wife Martha (Amy Ryan, GONE BABY GONE) berates him about any chance she gets. Andy devises a plan to rob their parents' jewelry store. But when Hank enlists busboy/crook named Bobby (Brain F. O'Byrne, MILLION DOLLAR BABY) to help in the crime, things go horribly wrong, spurring Andy and Hank's father Charles (Albert Finney, TOM JONES) to make it a personal mission to find out who shot his wife Nanette (Rosemary Harris, SPIDER-MAN).
The film begins with Andy and Gina on vacation in Rio where all their problems seem to be gone. Gina is frustrated with her emotionally distance husband, a trait he inherited from his father. Andy and Charles' relationship has always been strained and the tragic events don't bring them closer together. Often volumes about the character's past and their relationship with other characters are defined in single lines. It's efficient writing at its best. The personal strife of Andy and Hank motivates them to do what they do and their relationship plays a big part in how they react to the consequences. Many of the film's big secrets are character revelations. A great deal of the tension in the early part is created not by what will happen, but why something has happened. All the various plot lines build brilliantly to a gripping conclusion.
Hoffman gives yet another brilliant performance in a resume of performances that any actor would be envious of. He is supported well by Hawke, who is the heart of the story. The central character Andy's motivations are out of greed, while Hank's are for his daughter. Good word has also been circling Tomei's performance, which is good, but I believe most of the attention comes from an actress over 40 spending nearly half of her screen time naked. Her body should make many 20-something actresses envious. Little buzz has surrounded Finney's performance, and I believe it is so because he is so subtle. His character doesn't get as much development as the others, but he brings such human truth to moments that the character comes alive.
Family resentments, greed and emotional blankness are the ingredients of a toxic cocktail that make Andy do terrible things. He knows the right buttons to push to make his little brother drink it with him. It ultimately poisons everyone around them. The title comes from the Irish saying, "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead." By the end, there will be more than one character who will wish that this to be true.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
