Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Two brothers hatch a plan to rob their parents' jewelry shop hoping to fix debts and secure a better future. The heist begins with careful nerves and routine steps, but small mistakes and bad luck snowball into a larger, more dangerous mess. As consequences multiply, the family is drawn into a web of fear, guilt, and improvised lies. The once ordinary home becomes a scene of paranoia where every knock on the door raises stakes and trust frays. The crime exposes what people will do to protect themselves and those they love, leaving the house fractured and the future uncertain as the city intensifies around them. The burden lingers long. Tension lingers beyond the credits. The consequences linger long after.

Directed by Sidney Lumet, with a screenplay by Kelly Masterson, the film marks a lean city crime drama from a veteran filmmaker. Lumet emphasizes close quarters and procedural realism, while Hoffman and Finney anchor the tense mood for drama tonight.

The film earned $25,005,257 worldwide, against a production budget of $18,000,000, giving it a modest but solid performance for a prestige crime drama. Its reception grew among audiences through word of mouth. Beneath the surface lies a tense moral reckoning.

Praised for its restrained, brutal atmosphere and the uneasy family chemistry. The film's two leads deliver precise, low-key performances, while the screenplay tightens the suspense through clipped dialogue. The visuals and sound design reinforce the sense of inevitability as a tragedy unfolds and leaves room for debate about class morality.

Critics highlighted Lumet's economical direction and a focus on consequences over spectacle. The story probes greed, loyalty, and the fragility of a family's trust under pressure, showing how quickly ordinary people become entangled in decisions they cannot undo, with the ending leaving questions rather than easy answers for viewers too.