Before the Devil Knows Your Dead

ALMOST: Up front, I'll admit that I was entertained by this movie. The action was non-stop, and the drama piled on. Performances by Seymour-Hoffman, Hawke, etc. make it candy for the eyes. The storyline is where my confusion begins and where I have a hard time recommending this one to anyone else. First of all, it's violent. Secondly it works backwards and sideways in the time sequence, making it harder to tie up loose ends. Finally, the end is where most of my dissatisfaction occurs. And it occurs because of those loose ends. The storyline, working in so many directions takes on equally as many subplots and minor characters that we only get a sampling of. Their significance is lost by the end and the audience is left to wonder why they were included at all. This point backs up that the movie could have been a half hour shorter, as I felt an ending coming in every scene during those last 30 minutes. You'll leave with a lot of whys and maybe even some hows as to what went on during the film. But, don't let the confusion discredit the acting, as this group performed at maximum talent despite a curvy script. Brace yourself for the violence, and a little sex, but be comforted that the meat of the film lies in the sequence, those graphic details, just coloring inside the lines.