CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Road to Perdition

Director

Sam Mendes

Year

2002

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

I revere American Beauty (1999), a movie I consider a classic and which was directed by the great Sam Mendes. That was actually his first movie, which made him some kind of genius in my book. The thought of his second outing not living up to expectations was scary, but Road to Perdition actually came to solidify his status as one of the best working directors out there. Like Hitchcock and Wilder and so many more this is a guy I wish would keep making movies forever.

The story takes place in Depression Era’s Chicago. Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) watches his world stumble as he discovers the real profession of his father Michael (Tom Hanks), a hit man who has always worked for John Rooney (Paul Newman), the Godfather-like mobster who helped him when he had nothing. A father-son relationship grew between them, something Rooney’s real son Connor (Daniel Craig) always resented.

The movie was based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner. It was translated in a more subtle way to the screen by Mendes and writer David Self. It is violent all right, but they decided to stick with the emotional roots at the core of the story. Therein lies its greatness.

There’s a lot of pleasure to be had with an old-fashioned movie that works. Sam Mendes was smart enough to know the best way to tell his story was by taking its time. The way the camera pans from one place to another, the way it slowly moves at the same rhythm as the scene unravels, the way the pace is so deliberately slow in an elegant and classy way. This is a movie in which each scene actually leads to another in more ways than just trying to move the story forward. Each line, each view, it’s all there for a reason.

There’s something really poignant in a story about fathers defending their least favorite sons. Both John and Michael are faced with such a situation and they can do nothing to prevent it. There’s something really sad about the way John starts to look worse and worse while awaiting for the fatal moment in which he might be told of the bad news regarding his protégé’s death. There’s also something really sad at the notion of Michael wanting a better life for his son, a life he couldn’t really give him, because it is now that he’s finally getting to know his own blood.

It is a sad story indeed, one that is filled with irony and sentiment. It is also a story about loyalty, about honor and about dreams. But it is most of all a story about bonding, and the way it unfolds feels like poetry. As gangsters movies go, Road to Perdition is remarkable. But as far as human dramas do, it is more than that.

Conrad L. Hall’s photography is mesmerizing. I am not exaggerating when I call it one of the most beautifully photographed movies ever made. Exquisite production design and a great score from Thomas Newman just add to the enormity of it all.

Memorable scenes include an encounter between assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law) and Sullivan at a highway restaurant, a musical moment between John and Michael, a very stylish shoot-out scene near the end and the best of all, the basement scene between a torn father and a hurt son.

Part of Mendes’s dazzling ability is the way he gets such outstanding performances out of his actors. I have not enough words to convey the strength of Paul Newman’s performance. He’s the father, the grandfather, the rock. And he’s a perfect match to Tom Hanks’s more restrained, yet equally cold-blooded character; a far stretch for an actor usually known for very different kinds of roles. Jude Law, in his brief appearance, steals the show. And Daniel Craig also delivers a strong performance. Last but not least there’s young Tyler Hoechlin, who stands his own against actors of such pedigree and still makes himself noticed. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Liam Aiken and Ciarán Hinds also appear.

“And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven.”

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Review

Road to Perdition

Director

Sam Mendes

Year

2002

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

John Rooney (Paul Newman), a crime boss in Depression Era Chicago, finds himself in the worst of predicaments when his own son (Daniel Craig) is endangered by knowledge acquired by the young son of his most loyal hitman, Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks). The latter is as much a son to Rooney as his real son, but something must be done about the unfortunate incident. Rooney’s decision won’t be easy, and will definitely have dramatic repercussions.

Road to Perdition was born as a graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, and translated to film by screenwriter David Self, who pretty much maintained the spirit of the original format. The same thing was achieved visually, and this film is definitely a treat for the eye. Conrad L. Hall’s cinematography is absolutely splendid, as is the production design, and Mendes’ direction focuses as much in the visuals as it does in the characters, and their dialogue, and their points of view. The whole story is seen mostly from the point of view of Sullivan’s son (Tyler Hoechlin), which makes it so awe-inspiring maybe, as it’s probably the way it’s seen by the boy.

This is on the surface a tale of gangsters fighting each other to protect their own best interests. Sullivan and his son run away from danger and are chased by the evil guys, in the form of scene-stealer Jude Law in a Jack Palace in ‘Shane’ kind of role he pulls off amazingly. However, at the core, the film is really about relationships, especially those between fathers and sons. There are three such relationships here that can be compared: Rooney and his son, Ronney and Sullivan, and Sullivan and his son. There’s conflict here, especially concerning Rooney and his difficult decision.

However, quite sadly, the story seemed to me a bit shallow and indifferent. I understand that this is done in part to achieve the graphic novel style, but I would’ve enjoyed just a little bit of heart. It even seemed to me like it avoided any possible poignancy, and it was hard for me to really feel the characters’ hesitation or conflict, though it’s obviously there. I probably shouldn’t expect even the slightest friendliness in this kind of tale, but I also didn’t expect them to avoid it so deliberately.

The cast is pretty good. Newman is absolutely great as the conflicted kingpin, and Hanks fine too as a man unable to show any sentiment. As I said, Law steals his scenes, even though his character is not very deep. Craig surprised me as well as Newman’s son.

Thomas Newman’s score suits the procedures very well, and becomes one more similar aspect to Director Mendes’ feature debut American Beauty (1999) (Road to Perdition is his second feature film). Overall, this film is definitely recommendable, highly original, and pleasurable in many ways, if unsatisfying in others.

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