The Popkorn Junkie :: Road to Perdition

Sam Mendes may be the next great director in Hollywood. "American Beauty" was such a brilliant film and stunning debut, many people doubted whether or not he would be able to follow up such success. He did the right thing. He waited and waited for the perfect script until it finally landed at his feet, the adaptation of a graphic novel entitled "Road to Perdition". What a fantastic decision it was for Mendes to accept this project, and what a wonderful job he did with the film.

Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a family man with one small quirk--he's a hit man who protects the town boss, Paul Newman, from all kinds of harm. However, when Hanks' wife and son are murdered, he goes on a quest for vengeance against those responsible, bringing him closer together with his surviving son Michael, Jr., who must accompany him on the trip.

This very basic plotline is filled with immense depth and emotion, involving the relationships between fathers and sons (this examined through Hanks and his son, and Newman, who sees Hanks as the son he never had, but always wanted), the rewards and consequences of revenge, and the stock of loyalty and honor. Sam Mendes has crafted a beautiful period piece, authentic and powerful in scope.

After watching this film, I realized that there were three things I really loved about the film, and only one that I found to be bothersome. The three things I loved: (1) The performances. Tom Hanks carries this film on his gifted shoulders from beginning to end, adding another Oscar worthy performance to his plethora of cinematic winners.

Paul Newman adds class and perfection to his role of bossman John Rooney, and Jude Law delivers a flawless American accent in a small, yet meaningful performance as a rival hit man who likes to photograph his victims after he has dispatched them. Also, Stanley Tucci pops up as infamous crime lord Frank Nitti. (2) The authenticity. When Hanks and and his son are driving into Chicago, there is an amazing shot of the buildings colliding with the automobiles and the Chicago skyline. There is also another shot of Hanks and his son walking amidst a crowd of people, all looking relatively the same, but all completely different. Everything has a thirtiesh look about it and he film never strays from that feel. (3) The message. "Road to Perdition" is a very violent, very grim film, but delivers a powerful and touching message about love and loyalty. When Paul Newman is speaking with Hanks, he is visibly torn between turning in the son he has always known, or disappointing the son he has always wanted. Their scenes together are priceless. Also, Tyler Hoechlin, who portrays Michael, Jr., does a fine job matching up with such colossal stars as Hanks and Newman, but it is hard to keep your attention on him when Hanks dominates the screen as he tends to do.

The one aspect of the film I found displeasing was that halfway through the film, it became utterly predictable. I knew what was going to happen just before it happened, and that always makes me a little uneasy. Don't get me wrong--that isn't nearly enough to make me give this close to a negative review--but, it did bother me just a little. I like that constant element of surprise, though it is hard to come up with something completely original in the crime genre.

"Road to Perdition" is a fantastic film, which I am certain will receive its share of Oscar prestige. Hanks and Newman both give Oscar worthy performances, and Sam Mendes proves that he is a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. The bad thing is that this film will likely get lost in a summer filled with blockbusters like "Men in Black 2", "K-19: The Widowmaker", "Reign of Fire", and other films that will draw in the big bucks. This film will probably have a successful first weekend and then fizzle away quickly, only to be rediscovered at Oscar time, and possibly rereleased. That's the way it goes. But, go and see this one if you have a chance, and see why Tom Hanks just can't make a bad movie.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Mike ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

I really like this character and story driven film. While it's deliberately paced , the movie does not lag for a single second. I was a little skeptical going in on whether Tom Hanks could be convincing as a murderous hit man with a soul, but darn it if he doesn't pull it off as well as anyone. My only complaint was that I would have liked to seen more of both Paul Newman and Jude Law who were so good in their limited screen time and I wanted to see more of these guys. The movie is also gorgeous to look at with scenes of 1930ish Chicago during the winter. It was great to see Sam Mendes tackle a totally different type of film than "American Beauty" and do it so spectacularly. People who want to see a more action oriented gangster film like "The Untouchables" may be disappointed, but those who like to see a good solid story told with great acting will be most rewarded.

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

I was hugely anticipating this movie, after seeing the previews and finding out that it was directed by Sam Mendes, who directed my favorite movie of all time--"American Beauty." Is it as great as "American Beauty"? No, but I still wasn't disappointed. The movie starts out slow, but really builds up as it proceeds, until the tragic end which made me leave the theater in tears. Tom Hanks recently accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the AFI, and watching this film you see exactly why. Hanks decided to tackle a role, different from his usual nice-guy roles. He is delightful to watch in anything he does (even "Joe Vs. the Volcano"), but it was even more delightful seeing him play a different type of character and succeeding with flying colors. Like any great actor, he communicates more emotion in the scenes without dialogue than the scenes with dialogue. Hopefully, the Academy will recognize his powerhouse performance, so he will later be known as "3-Time Oscar-Winner Tom Hanks." As for Paul Newman--I don't even have to go into detail about his performance, because he never fails to give it his all. Even though his character was somewhat the villain, I couldn't help but smile whenever Newman was on screen, because it was the greatest sight in the world watching one of the most brilliant actors of the last 5-or-so decades grace us with his presence. I agree that the movie would've been greater if we got to see more of Paul Newman, but since he only makes a movie every 2 years (give or take) I cherished the fact that he was in the movie period. Jude Law is also terrific, giving one of his best performances, which is up there with his role as Dickie in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." The boy who played the son (I forgot the actor's name) also did a fine job, managing to hold his own whenever he shares the screen with Hanks and Newman. And Mendes' direction is beautiful, using dim lighting (especially on Hanks' face), shadows and hard rain to give us the feeling that we're actually watching a gangster movie from the 1930's. The music is also beautiful, composed by Thomas Newman, who also composed the score for "American Beauty." I don't believe the film itself deserves an Oscar, but Tom Hanks does. Paul Newman and Jude Law should both get nominated for Best Supporting Actor (I don't care who wins, because they were both extraordinary), Sam Mendes should win for Best Director and Thomas Newman should win for Best Score. I wouldn't rank this as one of the best movies of 2002, but it will get honorable mention and it's very well worth seeing.

James ( 4 out of 4 pops )

This is the best film of the year, and we still have another Tom Hanks film coming with "Catch Me If You Can". The photography by Conrad Hall is simply awesome. If I must say one bad thing, it's that the ending was kinda predictable, but c'mon, movies do not always need a surprise ending. In fact, they should stay away from those more often than not. Again, I was extremely impressed with Tom Hanks. It seems with every film he does, I keep waiting for him to fail, yet it never happens. He just keeps on going. It's hard to believe that this is the same actor who once said "I am NOT a fish!", and that's another thing: I never once saw his other work during this film! It was all Michael Sullivan. This is supposedly hard to pull off great film after great film, but Tom Hanks is always brilliant about portraying his characters. Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Tyler Hoechin are also stunning in their roles.