The Road to Perdition Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)July 11th, 2002
ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Tyler Hoechlin, Stanley Tucci and Liam Aiken. Screenplay by David Self. Based on the graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. Music by Thomas Newman. Directed by Sam Mendes. Rated R. Running time: 119 minutes.
Can a man be a cold-blooded killer as well as a loving father and husband? Can an individual separate who he is from what he does?
Those are some of the issues explored in Road to Perdition, a dark and brooding drama from American Beauty’s Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.
The foundation of Road to Perdition rests on the relationships between fathers and sons. Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a hit man for the Irish mob. His boss, John Rooney (Paul Newman) raised Sullivan and treats him like a son, which irritates Rooney’s son, Connor (Daniel Craig).
Sullivan’s oldest son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), the movie’s narrator, feels unloved. His craves the affection of his father, who appears distant to him.
Michael Jr. and his younger brother, Peter (Liam Aiken), know their father works for Rooney, but are ignorant of what he does for the grandfatherly figure. When asked, their mother, Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), responds sharply that their father puts bread on the table, implying that is all the boys need to know.
One night, Michael Jr. stows away in his father’s car when Sullivan and Connor run a late-night errand for Rooney to talk to a disgruntled underling. What happens next causes Sullivan’s work and private life to collide setting off a deadly chain reaction that sets Sullivan and Michael Jr. on a road to revenge.
In a summer overrun with movies dominated by CGI aliens and super heroes, it revigorates the mind to see a feature that concentrates on people, a project in which the script and characters hold sway.
An air of inevitability and tragedy weighs upon Road to Perdition. Many events are foreshadowed, but the story is so compelling that the device cannot compromise their impact.
Exceptional performances dominate the movie. Hanks offers one of the subtlest interpretations of his career. His stillness and intensity belie a man who without a flicker of remorse can wield a tommy gun to snuff out lives, yet who howls like a wounded animal when death invades his domain.
Newman underplays his Rooney in perfect synch with Hanks. The powerful Rooney acts like the kindly uncle who sneaks you a dollar or two when he visits, which makes his ruthlessness even more terrifying. The schism that makes him choose between the son of his flesh and the son of his heart is the only sign of weakness he portrays.
Leigh has little screen time and little dialogue as Sullivan’s wife, yet she has ample opportunity to display that strength that is the rock on which the family is built.
Young Hoechlin probably has the toughest assignment, playing a lad who loses his innocence upon witnessing how his father earns his living. It is a heartbreaking moment viewing the disillusionment and fear on young Michael’s face after his father confronts him with the truth.
The cast also includes an eccentric performance by Jude Law as Maguire the hit man hired to eliminate Sullivan. Law brings an air of lightness to his character whose hobby is photographing dead people or victims at the moment of death.
Stanley Tucci is smoothly menacing as Frank Nitti, whom both Sullivan and Rooney turn to for counsel.
Only Craig’s Connor seems out of joint. He is too overt, too outward. While the other characters keep their agenda and emotions close to the vest, Conner’s mannerisms and expressions quickly reveal everything about him.
The screenplay by David Self, based on a graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner is taut. Every frame of this 119-minute film advances the action.
Thomas Newman's score is minimal, but effective. One of the film's biggest assets is the legendary Conrad L. Hall’s cinematography, with its muted palates that greatly enhance Mendes’ vision.
Only one historical snafu was bothersome. The film takes place during the winter of 1931, but Michael Jr. is shown reading a Little Book adventure story about The Lone Ranger, a character not created until 1933 and which originally aired only on the Detroit radio station where it originated.
That quibble aside, Road to Perdition ranks among the top movies of 2002. It is sure to garner many end-of-year awards as well as notice during Oscar voting. It proves that good execution, writing and performances drive cinema, not computers.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloomjc@yahoo.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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