86
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinHis [Sidney Lumet] touch in Before the Devil is so sure, so perfectly weighted, that it’s hard to imagine him capable of making a bad movie. The thing is just enthralling.
- 100The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyFurious and entertaining little morality play.
- 100Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanThe movie grabs hold and runs you through the wringer.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMesmerizing.
- 100Christian Science MonitorChristian Science MonitorOne of the great American films of the past decade, and the crowning masterpiece of Lumet's long career.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckPungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small.
- 90VarietyLisa NesselsonVarietyLisa NesselsonThe wrenching tale has something for anyone who likes their melodrama spiked with palpable tension and genuine suspense.
- 88Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversA dynamite film that ranks with the year's best.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliPhilip Seymour Hoffman is in fine form as a man teetering on the edge.
- 50SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirThe evident strengths and laudable intentions of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (and even the appeal of Marisa Tomei in her undies) are overwhelmed by an implausible plot verging on unintentional comedy and a panoply of Noo Yawk dirt-bag supporting characters who might've seemed awkward on a 1993 episode of "NYPD Blue."