ROAD TO PERDITION
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Lee, Stanley Tucci, Tyler
Hoechlin and Paul Newman
Director: Sam Mendes
Running Time: 117 mins
Certificate: 15
Out to buy on DVD 17th March
Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is a family man who works for local entrepreneur, John Rooney (Newman). Putting food on the table for his wife (Jason Lee) and two sons, they never ask what he actually does for Mr Rooney. One fateful night curiosity gets the better of his eldest son, Michael Jr (Hoechlin) and he stows away in the back of the family car. As the inquisitive young boy watches his Father and Connor Rooney (Craig) talk to their associate, he witnesses an event that will change his life forever, the killing of three men at Connor's and his Father's hands.
After winning the Best Director Oscar for his debut movie American Beauty, everyone wondered what Sam Mendes would do next. The answer was an unexpected one, as he opted to bring a Gangster themed graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner to the big screen. Set in 1931, the time of prohibition and gangsters running the US, Mendes brings us a story of honour, lost, betrayal and revenge but at its heart it is about the relationship between fathers and sons.
Casting Tom Hanks as a hit man was a very surprising choice but one that has played off in spades. Hanks gives another Oscar worthy performance by convincing you to route for a man that has probably killed hundreds of people all because of the faint hope of redemption for saving the life of his son, played by the exceptionally good Tyler Hoechlin. How do you keep finding these tremendously gifted child actors?
Jude Law is particularly creepy as Maguire, a hit man that photographs his victims and sells the pictures to the local press. He really embraces the character, with his awful teeth and skulking manor repulsing you every time he graces the screen, he is the consummate evil henchman.
Support is also good from Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney, the power hungry son who sees Michael as on obstacle to gaining his father's respect and Stanley Tucci as the real-life right hand man of Al Capone, Frank Nitti.
Igniting the screen every time he graces it, Paul Newman gives one of the most memorable performances of his illustrious career. He actually said a while back that he would return to the screen one more time if he could find the right role. If this is the last time we see him on the silver screen then this is a magnificent swansong.
Road to Perdition is one of the most visually stunning movies you will ever see. Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall bring the 1930s to life by authentically recreating the look and feel of the period and bathing it in light and shadow. There are scenes that are so visually stunning that you will watch slightly ajar throughout. In fact the overall look is so exceptional that any individual frame could be a picture on your wall.
Complementing the stunning visuals is Thomas Newman's wonderful score. It does lapse into the American Beauty sound on the odd occasion but this takes nothing away for how Newman captures the time the movie and the feeling of key scenes, whether they be dramatic or light-hearted.
Has Sam Mendes produced the consummate gangster flick, probably not as the story is a tad predictable but this won't distract you from being totally drawn in to what is happening. He has however bought us one of the best movies of 2002 and certainly one of the most visually stunning pieces of cinema I have ever seen.
Audio commentary from director Sam Mendes, 11 deleted scenes 'The Making Of Road To Perdition': HBO Special ,Photo gallery, Cast and filmmaker biographies, Production notes, Interactive menu and Scene access
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