Road to Perdition (2002)

There's a problem when you start at the top.........

The only direction from there is down. Sam Mendes' sophomore feature film effort isn't quite as expensive or unsatisfying as Michael Camino's junior effort, Heaven's Gate, but it comes close. This is the problem of, pardon the expression, shooting your wad too soon. Where to start?

Miscasting: Daniel Craig being the only exception. How can you waste Jennifer Jsson Leigh in a bit part? Barely a bit part! Just because an actor can handle a part it doesn't mean you can or should cast them in the part. Newman was extraordinarily perfect (yes I know the problem with that) as Sid Mussburger in The Hudsucker Proxy. That's casting genius. This is casting by numbers. Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Tyler Hoechlin were just plain wrong. That's not even casting by the numbers. You've got to know your box office.

Intentions: Seems as if Mendes wanted to make something to compare with The Godfather Saga and, IMHO the superior, Miller's Crossing. In the way both of those had inimitable style, Mendes tried, unsuccessfully, to create one for his saga. He would have been better off playing it straight and not strayed from the already meticulous representation given to the period. The scenes of violence were so arty that they lacked impact and didn't bring-it-home, so to speak.

Raw Material: Frankly, I didn't care for the story. It didn't run in a logical manner and seem to plod along without a lot of reason. I'm not going to drag it out but one example would be sending Sullivan to Calvino with a note rather than using the phone and sending him with a blank note. Of course, using that kind of logic and your movie is over in ten minutes but that what separates the mediocre from the best, being able to use good or even great logic and make a feature film.

There's a lot more but I'm going to say just one more thing and that is I'm a great one for endings and this is one is flat. One of worse final lines I've ever heard in what supposes to be a major film release. Plop went the flop.

November 8, 2008

A very fine, well-made film.

The "Road to Perdition" is a film about relationships, family, ethnicity, community and very much about America. More specifically, it is a story about a son, one of two, and his father. It is film with a lot of drive that gets it from the action in the story, more than from the dialogue. Overall, it has an honesty that comes across from the direction, the actors, the costumes and the scenery/locations. Most recognized in the awards the film gathered was the cinematography by Conrad Hall, which probably contributed most of all to the touching and haunting quality of the music for the film score. The acting in the film was superb in that the "stars" (Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Jude Law, Daniel Craig) were wonderfully balanced, resulting in an almost ensemble effect. My sense is that even though Sam Mendes, director and the principals did not walk off with Oscars, future audiences "Road to Perdition" will grow in appreciation, as time goes on. Don't miss it. September 18, 2008

Do not overlook

This is another film of great subtlety where I think Tom Hanks really plays one of his most daring roles as a father of two boys that also works for the mob during prohibition era.
The movie is really about a son and father struggling to know one another and being forced together after the loss of the rest of the family.
Jude Law also plays one of his darkest characters as a sick assassin for hire.
The directing and lighting are absolutely flawless, and when I first saw the climax scene in the theater, I was amazed at how the silence and darkness were used to make such an atmosphere. June 4, 2008

Atmospheric Prohibition-era coming-of-age gem

Nothing I can say about this great movie hasn't already been said, but I love it so dearly I must write about it. It is ultimately a story of love and betrayal, duty and devotion, tempered by the stark black-and-white sensibilities of 30s-era crime lords and the social auras of that time.

Tom Hanks - who can play anything flawlessly, from drama to comedy - is Michael Sullivan, a man who came under the wing of John Rooney (Paul Newman, in a stellar turn for a stellar career), boss of the Irish mafia in the Midwest, when his father died. His characterization of the role is perfect; austere, careful, guarded, foreboding, he is John Rooney's chosen, even over Rooney's actual son, Connor (played by Daniel Craig, also to perfection, prior to his emergence as the new Bond). Connor seethes with jealousy about this which is quite clear. He knows he is less in his father's eyes than Michael is; not as smart, not as good at his job, almost subservient to his adopted brother. We see Michael in the role of enforcer only twice, and neither instance comes off as planned, but it is also clear that this is a man canny in the way of his profession and who knows exactly what needs to be done.

Michael has worked for John Rooney all his life, and has been rewarded with a good living and a nice house. He is married to a lovely woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh, in a small but effective role) and has two boys, Peter and Michael Jr. Both boys have a burning curiousity about what their father does for a living, and the elder of the two, Michael (Tyler Hoechlin, in an impressive first role) decides to stow away one night when his father goes out on a job to find out. He witnesses something traumatic that he should never have seen, and sets in motion an epic journey as his father realizes the boy must be removed from the attentions of those who are running the show.

The acting in this film is superb all around. It had the misfortune to come out in a year thick with great films and so was overlooked at awards time, but in a thinner year would certainly have been up for consideration in a number of categories. Thomas Newman was nominated for a score that is haunting and beautiful - I could not wait to get it, and have already worn out one CD - and which complements the film perfectly, creating an evocative, atmospheric audio background without being overpowering. The settings are impressive also; small Midwestern cities, Chicago during that era, a diner in the middle of nowhere at night which evokes visions of an Edward Hopper painting, a beach house on Lake Michigan. There are great smaller roles; Jude Law as a grimy, sleazy gun-for-hire; Stanley Tucci, always good, as the boss of a Chicago gang that Michael Sullivan turns to for help. The movie is not without small moments of humor; Michael Sullivan, Sr teaching Michael Sullivan, Jr how to drive is amusing and warmhearted, and typical Tom Hanks.The film benefits from an excellent script and great direction from Sam Mendes.

Michael Sullivan, Jr, spends 6 weeks on the road with his father, learning about the man he knew little of until their flight away from their former life, and while it is not a journey one would recommend as a coming-of-age, I absolutely loved it. Both Paul Newman and Tom Hanks are unsurpassed as actors, and they don't disappoint here.

April 29, 2008

Great Movie

Road to Perdition (Full Screen Edition) I really love this movie. It is so dramatic and sad. The unspoken love of a dad for his son and the adventures they experience, though frightening, bring them closer together up to the sad ending that suprised my family and I. April 23, 2008

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