![Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [Blu-ray]](http://cdn.hometheaterforum.com/d/d5/50x50px-ZC-d54f2a8e_B00112S8S2-51+II5fewBL.jpg)
Sidney Lumet is one of our greatest filmmakers.
And has been for over half a century.
Now at an age (he's 83), when most people might be retired and living on their laurels and royalties, Mr. Lumet is still adding to his wonderful catalog of work.
His catalog of work?
If his name isn't automatically ringing bells for you, try 12 Angry Men, The Fugitive Kind, Long Day's Journey into Night, Fail-Safe, The Deadly Affair, Murder on the Orient Express, Network, Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict.
In his review of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Roger Ebert noted, "The Japanese name some of their artists Living Treasures. Sidney Lumet is one of ours. He has made more great pictures than most directors have made pictures.
Here he takes a story that is, after all, pretty straightforward, and tells it in an ingenious style we might call narrative interruptus. The brilliant debut screenplay by Kelly Masterson takes us up to a certain point, then flashes back to before that point, then catches us up again, then doubles back, so that it meticulously reconstructs how spectacularly and inevitably this perfect crime went wrong."
Before the Devil... was shot on Panavision gear in HD and was taken through the DI process to a 35mm printing negative. But unfortunately, and possibly because it wasn't a studio picture, the film found scant distribution after running the festival circuit.
To many potential home video viewers, this film will be an unknown, which is a pity, as the quality of Before the Devil... on every level, beginning with an incredible cast which moves this powerhouse of a film along rapidly, and ending with Image Entertainment's Blu-Ray disc is remarkable.
As an aside, the title comes from an Irish toast: "May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you're dead."
Please do not permit the fact that it didn't receive an advertising program equal to the budget of a small state hold you back from picking this one up.
At 83, Mr. Lumet is running on all 12 cylinders. He has created a film that one could easily see coming from a brilliant 35 year-old filmmaker, fresh on the trail for new ideas. It seems to combine New York, Lumet grittiness with the dark minds of the Coen Brothers.
Before the Devil... is one of the best films released in 2007, and is Very Highly Recommended.
RAH
And has been for over half a century.
Now at an age (he's 83), when most people might be retired and living on their laurels and royalties, Mr. Lumet is still adding to his wonderful catalog of work.
His catalog of work?
If his name isn't automatically ringing bells for you, try 12 Angry Men, The Fugitive Kind, Long Day's Journey into Night, Fail-Safe, The Deadly Affair, Murder on the Orient Express, Network, Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict.
In his review of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Roger Ebert noted, "The Japanese name some of their artists Living Treasures. Sidney Lumet is one of ours. He has made more great pictures than most directors have made pictures.
Here he takes a story that is, after all, pretty straightforward, and tells it in an ingenious style we might call narrative interruptus. The brilliant debut screenplay by Kelly Masterson takes us up to a certain point, then flashes back to before that point, then catches us up again, then doubles back, so that it meticulously reconstructs how spectacularly and inevitably this perfect crime went wrong."
Before the Devil... was shot on Panavision gear in HD and was taken through the DI process to a 35mm printing negative. But unfortunately, and possibly because it wasn't a studio picture, the film found scant distribution after running the festival circuit.
To many potential home video viewers, this film will be an unknown, which is a pity, as the quality of Before the Devil... on every level, beginning with an incredible cast which moves this powerhouse of a film along rapidly, and ending with Image Entertainment's Blu-Ray disc is remarkable.
As an aside, the title comes from an Irish toast: "May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you're dead."
Please do not permit the fact that it didn't receive an advertising program equal to the budget of a small state hold you back from picking this one up.
At 83, Mr. Lumet is running on all 12 cylinders. He has created a film that one could easily see coming from a brilliant 35 year-old filmmaker, fresh on the trail for new ideas. It seems to combine New York, Lumet grittiness with the dark minds of the Coen Brothers.
Before the Devil... is one of the best films released in 2007, and is Very Highly Recommended.
RAH
