The truth is, the only reason her character is even in the movie is because she's topless in more than half of her scenes. While that might be a great reason for some of us to see the movie, an actress with Tomei's talents deserves better.

The film is captivating for the first hour; afterwards, once we understand all the pieces and have a good idea of what the final picture will be, it becomes somewhat more difficult to watch. Andy and Hank, who respectively are shamelessly mean and pathetic, are never meant to be likable, but rarely have there been characters seen on screen who are more worthless members of society - and as such, the farther they fall, the more we want them to fail, and quickly. If there was ever a film that could call itself the epitome of bleak, this would be it.

The pace picks up for the violent ending which, except for annoyingly leaving one character hanging without a resolution, gives the movie its urgency back. A series of senseless murders culminates in a premeditated and surprisingly devious one that manages to be both depressing and satisfying, and hard not to admire. The same could be said for the entire film.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

Master filmmaker Sidney Lumet directs this absorbing suspense thriller about a family facing the worst enemy of all – itself. Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Andy, an overextended broker who lures his younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) into a larcenous scheme: the pair will rob a suburban mom-and-pop jewelry store that appears to be the quintessential easy target. The problem is, the store owners are Andy and Hank's actual mom and pop and, when the seemingly perfect crime goes awry, the damage lands right at their doorstep. Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei plays Hoffman's trophy wife, who is having a clandestine affair with Hawke, and the stellar cast also includes Albert Finney as the family patriarch who pursues justice at all costs, completely unaware that the culprits he is hunting are his own sons. A classy, classic heist-gone-wrong drama in the tradition of "The Killing" and Lumet's own "The Anderson Tapes," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is smart enough to know that we often have the most to fear from those who are near and dear.