Philip Seymour Hoffman's Last Masterpiece Explored

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead director: Sidney Lumet cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke

My response to this film will undoubtedly be positive when considering that it was Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last masterpiece. I was always impressed by the actor’s amazing ability to convey all the emotions and feelings of the characters of his films. I believe that in this dramatic canvas, where betrayal and frictions in the family are the main themes, this role is almost the peak of psychosis and despair. At the center of the film are two brothers who are disappointed in life: the older Hank is fired from a jewelry, store and then finds out that his beloved wife has an affair, and the younger Andy works as a simple clerk and cannot make his dream come true. He envies his wife his brother and the level of vengeance he reaches cannot be described. If the marriage of the main character was not happy, as it seems to him, then no one has the right to be happy. The negative dimensions in the relationship of the two brothers go off scale, and the preview of their customer can only be a jewelry store. The degree of tension and conflict in the film is not something that is rarely seen in cinematography is hard to imagine.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, in addition to being a wonderful manifestation of the depths of the human soul and a reflection on the concepts of family and morality, can safely be considered a masterpiece that could not have received this status without the participation of Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was he who made this film worthy of the legacy of both the outstanding artist and the great director.