sydney lumet hasn not have a box office hit in 20 year and yet at 83 have manage to churn out a tight and well cast and suspenseful thriller set in his old stamping ground and new york city . ( how he get insurance and let alone the budget after all those flop and be a mystery also ) . the story be a pretty grim one and the character be not particularly likable but it hold me on the edge of my seat till the final scene . two brother with press financial problem conspire to rob a suburban jewelry store own by their elderly parent . the only victim be go to be the insurance company . the robbery go awry and two people die . most of the film be concern with the aftermath . the action be non linear and see from the main character differ point of view and but it be not difficult to follow . what be not so easy to work out be the back story how do the brother get into such a mess . there be clue the young brother be the baby of the family be his father favorite while the old brother seem to be carry a lot of baggage about his relationship with his father and and vice versa and but that hardly account for him become a heroin use murder embezzler . a the scheme old brother and a corpulent philip seymour hoffman dominate the film and but he be well support by ethan hawke a his bullied and inadequate young brother . albert finney a their father seem to be in a constant state of rage but then the script call for that . marisa tomei a the old brother cheat wife at the age of 42 put in the sexy performance i have see in many a year . the film literally start with a bang and but we be out of that comfort zone pretty quickly . i do not know the origin of this story by first time scriptwriter kelly masterton but i suspect that like lumet great 70 film dog day afternoon it be base on fact it too silly to be untrue . lumet be just about the last of those immensely versatile old time craftsman studio director who with immense speed be able to direct just about anything that be put in front of them . some great film be produce that way as well a some classic turkey . this isn not a classic of either sort it a well craft piece of downbeat entertainment . it will probably leave you feel that you be lucky not be a member of a family as dysfunctional a this one and but still wonder a to how they get that way . we do know the parent be happy but we see so little of the mother and hear so little about her it be impossible pick up on her relationship with the boy . ( there be also a daughter whose presence seem redundant ) . well and like tolstoy and we have to conclude that each unhappy family be unhappy in it own way .