Review of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) by Erike. — 11 Jan 2008
This "pointless, redemption-less wallow in misery" isn't in any way describable as a Greek Tragedy as many reviewers have stated - it flirts with the basic plot of a tragedy - characters suffer a reversal of fortune brought about by their fatal character flaws or mistakes in judgement - but unlike a tragedy, I at no point cared about these people or their misfortune because they seemed to bring it unnecessarily upon themselves and were at the start unredeemably nasty and ugly people - causing it to have no emotional impact, evoking no empathetic concern - very anti-cathartic - add to that the predictable heist gone wrong plot, the stiff pacing, uncompelling twists, absurd plot holes, the mediocre dialogue - and the above average acting doesn't come close to saving this film from its abysmal failure.
- The critics can praise this all they want but I would dissuade others from seeing this, just as I would attempt to shield a loved one from unnecessarily walking in on a gruesome murderscene.
This review of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) was written by Erike. on 11 January 2008.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead has generally received very positive reviews.
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