 Road to Perdition (2002) Tom Hanks stars as Mike Sullivan, top hit man to boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). Sullivan's son Michael witnesses his father partake in a rubout instigated by Rooney's son Connor (Daniel Craig), and the drama begins. The story itself isn't all that interesting, but it's a doorway to the main theme of "fathers and sons" that turns out to be quite deep and not at all clichéd. Sullivan is the surrogate son to Rooney, whose own son Connor is a hairtrigger fool, while the younger Sullivan tries to make sense of his father and what he does for a living, and Sullivan works his ass off trying to save his son's life. Every character in the film goes through a spiritual and existential crisis, and not your usual shitty Hollywood fake crisis. The photography is breathtakingly beautiful, and Sam Mendes (who directed American Beauty) does a great job making each scene interesting. The movie has texture, if that makes sense, and you feel as if these people could have existed, even though it's based on a graphic novel. Writing-wise, the attention to character is great. For instance, a hit man played by Jude Law makes extra money selling pictures of the people he's killed to newspapers. With that established, the next time we see him load a camera, it's a simple action that feels ominous. It's the kind of detail that most movies don't bother with, and most people probably overlook, but this reviewer finds fascinating and quite sincerely delightful. The acting, too, is excellent. Hanks, who's a meat-and-potatoes actor (meaning he gives good performances, but looks like he's working at it—unlike, say, Jack Nicholson, who often becomes the character), gives one of his best performances. But more importantly, young Tyler Hoechlin, who plays his son, is the performance the film hinges on, since we see the action through his eyes (not literally, thank God!). He's a great young actor, on the level of Jesse Bradford in King of the Hill. Paul Newman very much earns his Oscar nomination, without resorting to salad dressing or popcorn. Stanley Tucci shows up as Frank Nitti, interesting as usual. But the best acting award for the movie goes to Daniel Craig, as Rooney's tormented son. He gives the character a sense of mystery and danger, yet at first you think he's a good guy, but then he's a bad guy, but then he's sad, but then he's pathetic, but then he's cruel, but then he's stupid—and it all happens in his eyes. It's pretty amazing work from a guy whose biggest film to date was Tomb Raider. All that said, the film has its slow points, and you pretty much know what's coming miles ahead of the characters themselves. Still, if you like your movies pretty, and you're sick of the loudness, the wire fighting, and the CG, then Road to Perdition is for you. And you. And you and you and you.
Review by Crimedog |