An extremely well acted and directed film, showcasing the talents of Lumet and the cast, particularly Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. The story is about 2 brothers who have got themselves into difficulties financially and are looking for an easy way out. Hawke plays the weak, easily led brother whilst Seymour Hoffman is the seemingly successful one with a high powered job and a fat salary. The idea is to rob a jewellery store; the twist being it belongs to their parents. Hawke can't go through with it alone and engages a seedy friend to help, and that's where the problems start. The story has a shocking and depressing ending, but it is worth watching for the excellent performances from the cast.
An excellent, talky little drama, reminiscent of the 1990s fad for losers getting in over their heads in crimes they can't control, allowing us to sit back and enjoy the dramatic desperation as things begin to fall apart. What a good actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was - it was a chilling portent of what would happen to him to see him comatose with the tourniquet around his arm in the dealer's apartment; the rest of the cast prove equal to his acting challenges in an ensemble display of rare power. I don't know why I didn't come across this when it came out but I'm glad of whatever it was that made me pick it out this time around.
Crime story with family melodrama woven in.Excellent acting from Hoffman & Finney-not sure about the time sequence.I might have preferred it in real time .Ironic that
Hoffman plays a drug addict in view of his death from drugs.Good tale-I enjoyed it although the ending doesnt show what happened to Hank(Hawke).