Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a film directed by Sidney Lumet. The title comes from the Irish saying: "May you be in heaven a full half hour before the Devil knows you're dead".

Andy Hanson, a finance executive in desperate need of money, convinces his similarly strapped brother Hank, to rob their parents' jewelry store. When the job goes horribly wrong, it triggers a series of events that sends their family towards a shattering climax.

1. Metacritic Metascore: 88 out of 100, "Pungently atmospheric, brilliantly textured and featuring superb performances from every performer in parts big and small."

1. Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 88%, Certified Fresh, "A tense and effective thriller, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead marks a triumphant return to form for director Sidney Lumet."

• Variety: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review
  • "An intricate tragedy that plumbs messy emotional depths with cinematic precision, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" explores urban malaise via ingredients so timeless, an ancient Greek stumbling into the theater would recognize the building blocks of mortal folly."

• eFilmCritic.com: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review (Rating: 5 Stars)
  • ""Devil" is electric with fury and fuming displays of bad judgment, and it takes the viewer on an unforgettable ride; every new turn drags the characters hopelessly deeper into an unfathomable situation milked to perfection by Lumet and his finely-tuned ear for tragedy."

• RollingStone: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review (Rating: 3.5/4)
  • "Hoffman continues to astonish, Hawke digs deep to create a haunting portrayal of loss. And Lumet's direction dazzles..."

• Rotten Tomatoes: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review (Rating: 87%)
  • "This flick is fast and ferocious, Lumet's sharpest and best since Prince of the City -- and surely one of the year's finest." -Lou Lumenick
• Entertainment Weekly: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review (Grade: A)
  • "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead may be the only movie I've seen that earns comparison to both a great film noir and Long Day's Journey Into Night. It's proof that Sidney Lumet's talent is, in every sense, timeless."

• Cinematical: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Review
  • "The fault for most of this film's deficiencies can be laid squarely at the feet of Lumet, whose insistence on chopping the timeline up into fish bait and reassembling it willy-nilly must have come from some deep-seated need to seem 'with it' like all those young whipper-snappers who enjoy that kind of thing these days. Sidney, why don't you sit down and watch Serpico with all the reels out of order, and tell us how you like it?"