Review of Road to Perdition (2002) by Bryce H — 11 Jun 2011

Road To Perdition is a breath of fresh air when it comes to gangster films. Instead of having a gangster film focused on what goes on with the business, director Sam Mendes gives you a look at Michael Sullivan, a hit man for the mob and his son witnesses one of his hits. Michael is then left to decide between his family or employers. Road To Perdition is flawless with powerful performances, terrific directing, and it has beautiful cinematography.

The performances from both Tom Hanks and Tyler Hoechlin are perfect. They both have great father and son chemistry. There is no way you can say one negative thing about the performances from Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig and Stanely Tucci, they're just about perfect.

Sam Mendes did a terrific job with directing Road To Perdition. He gives a dark and some what grainy feel to this period piece. What really stands out in this movie is the beautiful cinematography. Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall really hit the sweet spot. The way scenes are shot with the wide openness to it, really showed the depth to the scene.

Road To Perdition is a gangster movie that takes a different approach. It has brilliant performances and directing. This is work of originality, which is hard to come by now a days.