two reviews

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke) are brothers battling growing financial problems. Andy – the older brother – bullies Hank into robbing a jewelry store – their mother and father’s jewelry store. Hank botches the job, which leads to a growing tide of problems for the brothers, the ripples of which affect everyone in their immediate circles.

Of course, the roots of this great film dig much deeper than that simple summary. Before the Devil’s catalyst is the relationship between Andy and Hank. The brothers’ emotional baggage leaks into their interactions; as they struggle to cope with their issues, they begin to battle each other. Hank reaches a breaking point – he contemplates suicide – and has no one else to lean on but Andy. Andy wants none of it, angrily telling a weeping Hank to “shut the fuck up” – he makes the act of manipulating another human being a perverse art form. Andy’s memorable breakdown occurs later in the film during an explosive exchange with his wife (Marisa Tomei), and moments later as he, alone, wrecks his apartment.

Director Sidney Lumet, whose resume includes 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Network, embraces the melodrama while avoiding the cliché and tacky elements of the genre. Hoffman, yet again, is amazing. And it’s after watching his role as Andy that I realized something: the real challenge of casting Hoffman is finding other actors who can equal his abilities, and Hawk, Tomei, and Albert Finney (Andy and Hank’s father) are up to the task and all give great performances.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is one of those rare films I watched twice in one day. Solid story, great directing and fantastic acting. Perfect.

Five out of five stars.

Tyson (2008)

I was a child of the ‘80s, and as a child I remember playing Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Tyson’s popularity and his dominance of boxing were otherworldly. He was so good it seemed as though he were based on a video game. At 20 years of age, he became the youngest man ever to win the heavyweight championship. Whenever a young person skyrockets to fame, the inevitable crash landing soon follows. And none crashed harder than Michael Gerard Tyson.

Tyson is a great documentary because director James Toback taps into his subject’s unique ability to tell a story, and Tyson’s tale is quite a story. Essentially, the film consists of Tyson sitting on a sofa and recalling his youth, his rise to stardom, his legal problems, “the Bite Fight,” and his post-boxing career. Interspersed are clips from his fights and interviews. This description may not seem engrossing, but actually watching the man himself speak about things that, for the public, were tabloid fodder is captivating. In this info-overdose age it’s easy to forget that the substance of headlines is not fictitious – behind the bold font and below the paparazzo’s flashbulb is a real human being.

The story of Mike Tyson is a lot of things. It’s a cautionary tale. A story of triumph. Of tragedy. Above it all, Tyson is a tale of redemption.

Five out of five stars.

xx