If you walked into a theatre showing BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD without knowing anything about it or who directed it, you’d probably think it was the work of a dynamic new independent director -possibly in his late twenties or early thirties – who had talent to burn. Of  course we know it’s the work of the 83-year-old Lumet but the film is just as fresh, surprising and alive to the harrowing and painful emotions of its tough love story as Lumet’s best work and that means on a par with “The Pawnbroker” (1964), “Serpico” (1973), “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975) and “Network” (1976). 

Without spoiling any of the film’s unexpected twists and turns – and I recommend avoiding the movie’s trailer if you want to come to this cold – all you need to know about the film is that it deals with a middle-class family thrown into crisis mode brought on unintentionally by two members of the family whose desperate need for money has led them into the abyss.

A nightmare vision of an American family unraveling, this is Greek tragedy on a grand scale and bares comparison with Lumet’s stark adaptation of Eugene O’Neil’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” another film which descended into hell by degrees, taking you into deeper, blacker depths with each step.  And like the best of Lumet’s work BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD is an actor’s showcase with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney working at the peak of their powers.

Hoffman, in particular, continues to take risks as an actor which pay off spectacularly, taking us places on a dramatic and emotional level which can be incredibly uncomfortable yet revelatory. Hawke is no less impressive, playing against his handsome charmer of “Before Sunrise” (1995), “Before Sunset” (2004) and “Great Expectations” (1998), and creating a portrait of an over-30 ne’er-do-well who is completely incapable and unprepared for life as an adult.  

Albert Finney remains in the background for the first half of the film, muted and low-key, but comes forward in the second half when his gradual realization of what is really happening brings him to the point of blind rage and then decisive action. It’s a powerful performance and Lumet honors him with the final, devastating fade-out.

In a role only slightly less important than the three male leads, Marisa Tomei provides a vivid portrayal of Hoffman’s self-centered wife whose self-image is based almost completely on her attractiveness and sex appeal which is considerable – but not enough to improve her lot in life. Rounding out the supporting cast are Rosemary Harris and Amy Ryan who make their brief scenes stand out in ways that come back to haunt you later.

Probably the only thing about BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD that could be construed as trendy and typical of contemporary movies is the structure which avoids a linear narrative as if that is something to be avoided at all costs. Maybe this is continual fallout from Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and even current films such as “Michael Clayton” are guilty of it but it’s doesn’t undermine the power of Lumet’s film. And some viewers may find that this fragmented, time-hopping approach works fine when applied by a master like Lumet.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD may not be the holiday movie that you want to take the whole family to see. Or maybe it is. As a cautionary moral tale or a portrait of a contemporary American family rendered as a spectacular train wreck, you won’t find a more riveting emotional experience on movie screens this season.

As for those who have written Lumet off after a rather lackluster decade or more of disappointments  –  “A Stranger Among Us” (1992), “Guilty as Sin” (1993), “Critical Car” (1997), “Gloria” (1999) with Sharon Stone, “Find Me Guilty” (2006) with Vin Diesel – I’m here to tell you THE MAN IS BACK!!! And rumor has it he is already working on his next picture.