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Road to Perdition | Year: 2002 Classification: Drama Directed: - Sam Mendes Actors/Actresses: - Tyler Hoechlin - Tom Hanks I say "He was my father."...... This is no hype, this is a great, great movie. A dream cast, literally flawless down to the smallest part, tells a tragic tale of loyalties betrayed and of bonds broken and bonds established. Conrad Hall's cinematography is casually stunning and every production detail is meticulous and authentic. The past is captured with intelligence and care. Sam Mendes has found a way to tell this tale of violence and murder with great style and grace. His choices throughout the film are brilliant, whether in unexpected closeups or thoughtful and unusual camera placement and angles. The use of weather (rain) and locale and the look & tone of the piece are marvelous. None of his work is forced and it flows and melds nicely. With this, only his second film, he has established his place in the forefront of today's filmakers. Truly remarkable work! I will not give the details of the story other than it involves Irish mobsters who are affiliated with Al Capone in Chicago, and how things go terribly wrong when a son discovers his father's (Tom Hanks) business. An aging mob boss (Paul Newman) must make the terrible choice between a baseless son and his adopted son whom he truly loves.. Their world is turned upside down and a quest for survival becomes a quest for redemption as well. As I said at the outset the cast is superb: Tom Hanks is completely believable in a different, darker role than we have seen him play before. Paul Newman nails the contradictions in this charming but deadly old gangster. Jude Law is spot-on as an amoral hitman. And Daniel Craig makes an impression as the envious son with the constant smile but no laughter in his eyes. Stanley Tucci does a nice small part and all the minor characters are fine. But, the great work are the scenes between Newman & Hanks and Hanks and Hoechlin. Fathers & sons and the mysteries & contradictions always inherent in those relationships. Thanks to Dreamworks and the producers for, again, releasing a serious film for adults in the Summer. A welcome relief from the hyper noisy and busy popcorn movie season. This is as fine a piece of filmmaking as you're likely to see in a while. First rate in all departments. Not to be missed. Tom Hanks as you've never seen him before Set in the Winter if 1931, ROAD TO PERDITION is director Sam Mendes' follow up to his Oscar winning AMERICAN BEAUTY. ROAD TO PERDITION is based on a graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner.<BR>In a fine departure from his usual roles Tom Hanks plays ruthless gangster Michael Sullivan, who finds his life turned upside down when his son Michael Jr (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses a bloody murder in which he was an accomplice. As if this isn't bad enough Sullivan also soon finds his own "Family" have issued orders for a hit on him. ("This house is not our home anymore. It's just an empty building" Hanks tells his son). This leads father and son on a cross country trip to evade their pursuers where Michael Sr discovers he may have a chance to turn his life around.<BR>Paul Newman deserves a mention as he is sensational as Hanks's father and mentor. He just seems to get better with age. There are a couple of bloody sequences, especially at the climax; but ROAD TO PERDITION is basically a film about loyalty and redemption. The pace is a bit slow in parts but Conrad L. Hall's stunning cinematography more than makes it for it. Well worth seeing. Men who will not go to heaven Loyalty between criminals is a myth as Road to Perdition makes abundantly clear. One is readily betrayed for reasons of greed and perceived self preservation. Tom Hanks portrays Michael Sullivan, a gangster possessing solidly Catholic middle-class family values. Prayer and a sense of responsibility underpin his outlook on life. He obviously hopes for religious salvation, but can such a man be saved from eternal damnation? Sullivan is something of a stepson to Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). He is also Rooney's number one enforcer and hit man. The latter has Sullivan accompany his son Connor (Daniel Craig) on a mission to calm down a distraught hoodlum whose brother has just been killed by Rooney's mobsters for allegedly stealing from the gang. Things go wrong and a number of men have to be killed. Unfortunately, Sullivan's older son Michael, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) has witnessed the massacre and at least one person is afraid that the young boy might go to the police. Connor murders Sullivan's wife and youngest son. It's time to for the remaining two male family members to get out of town. The killing never ceases as both father and son travel throughout the midwest seeking revenge and safety. Jude Law effectively plays the role of the vile contract killer chasing them. Director Sam Mendes superbly brings us back to the year 1931 and the action is non-stop interspersed with riveting dialogue. There are occasional lapses in logic, but the incredible acting of the cast members allows you to overlook these minor difficulties. Stanley Tucci especially deserves special mention as the low keyed and soft spoken organized crime leader Frank Nitti. Hanks and Newman will almost certainly be remembered by this year's academy award nominating committee. Road to Perdition is geared for an adult audience and easily earns five stars. It deserves to be on your summer can't miss list. Flawed but still amazing masterpiece. Road to Perdition is so ambitious that any flaws it may have are made irrelevant by the film's grandiosity of vision, technical brilliance, and unique sensibility. Several members of the production team were carried over from American Beauty -- director Sam Mendes, legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall, brilliant composer Thomas Newman -- but the two films are apples and oranges. What they do share is a sense of boldness, narrative voices that are unique and distinctive. Hall's photography is once again superlative -- and the larger, more elegiac tone of this film allows him even more room to dazzle with his visual magic. Thomas Newman's score is inscrutable, once again so intrinsically woven into the fabric of the film that it becomes a seamless part of the whole, enhancing the action rather than sticking out from it. The acting as a whole is wonderful. Paul Newman still has the ability to ignite the screen with a look; young actor Tyler Hoechlin is terrific as lead character Michael Sullivan, Jr., the gangster's son in danger of following his father's path; and Jude Law is fantastic and eccentric as psychotic hitman Maguire, opting for an engrossing low-key menace. Tom Hanks is the weak link in the first half of the film; his character is not a well-defined one for a good 45 minutes, and his repressed performance doesn't help. Fortunately he comes to life in Act 2 of the film with the first bank robbery. A good thing, for the film's emotional impact hinges on him, and from this point on he acquits himself well. However, I can't help but think an actor like Liam Neeson (remembering his powerhouse performance in Neil Jordan's Michael Collins) could have brought much more fire, volatility and charisma to this role. Nonetheless, Hanks works well enough, even if he's one of the flawed elements. There is a small number of scenes that last a little longer than they need to, as well, even though as a whole the film is quite well paced, and even when scenes run long, the eye-melting cinematography tends to keep you from becoming disengaged. One of Road to Perdition's greatest strengths is that it is unlike any other gangster film in history. While its themes have been touched upon by the Godfather series, its approach -- kind of a hybrid noir gangster/mismatched buddy/road movie -- is very original indeed. Just for that, I'd recommend it as essential viewing. And there is more to be discovered. Buy Road To Perdition at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Road To Perdition Search with the Priority Search Engine on Road To Perdition This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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