After a cold sex scene, between Andy and Gina, in South America, we know that Andy is a payroll manager who finds himself in a hard economic situation where he badly needs some extra money We also discover that he has been stealing from his job and using the money to his drug habits He's also attempting to keep up with his wife, who just might be having an affair <br /><br />To solve all their problems, he persuades his brothera likable loserto join him in a plan to steal their own parent's small store Their parents are happily married and proprietors of a jewelry store situated in New York's Westchester County Sixty thousand dollars is all they'll need to get their life out of desperation <br /><br />Three main characters are important in this movie<br /><br />First the two brothers Each of them is a complex individual, threatened with multiple motivations, and sunk into doubts and disappointments The two are desperate characters, financially and emotionally<br /><br />Andy is selfish He feels that he has never had the love of his father He is the corrupting influence, turning his brother into an assailant, and his beautiful woman into an adulteress<br /><br />Hank is a puppet too weak to resist his brother's wishes His ex-wife is one of the reasons he needs money as he owes her hundreds in child support. He longs to regain the confidence he once had with his father <br /><br />The third character is their weary and deplorable father Charles Hanson (Albert Finney), especially in the haunting climactic scenes<br /><br />Telling you more about the details could lessen the impact of the film, and therefore the entertainment...<br /><br />Tomei's performance conveys great depth and emotion even with her look, her touch, her particular move<br /><br />Lumet's direction is firm, fresh and brutal.