Review of Road to Perdition (2002) by Manny C — 12 Jan 2011

From a distance (meaning if you haven't seen the movie yet), Road To Perdition might not look like your cup of tea. Tom Hanks as a ruthless hit man in Depression-era Chicago? Forrest Gump coldly killing people? Road To Perdition took everyone by surprise way back in 2002, with its ace cinematography, strong direction and incredible performances. It has all the right ingredients to hook you for two hours. The whole film is like a Tom Hopper painting come to vivid life.

Mendes and co-screenwriter David Self adapted the film from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allen Collins, with illustrations by Richard Piers Rayner, with flourishes of father and son dynamics and the issue of violence being ingrained within us, as part of the American being. It may be a gangster film, but it bears little resemblance to The Godfather or Goodfellas, or even The Sopranos. Rather, it has the lyrical punch and complexity of a Clint Eastwood film.

It begins with the narration of 12 year old Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) telling us about his father, Michael Sr., a hit man for the Irish mob. Michael Sr. is indeed played by Tom Hanks, with a thin mustache and an arresting stare, enough to wash out the schmaltzy image he's known for. Hanks is devastatingly brilliant in the role, emotionally closed off to his eldest son, buttoned up in a suit and tie, looking like a gathering force of nature. His Michael Sullivan Sr. is fiercely devoted to John Rooney, the mob kingpin who's taken care of him for years like a son. 'So who has a hug for a lonely old man?' Rooney asks in a warm, familial manner with a hug. Rooney loves Michael, and his family, wife Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and their two sons, Michael Jr. and Peter. As played by the late, great Paul Newman, in a role that earned him his final Oscar nomination, Rooney is man that we can't help but notice is a man who can switch from violent overlord to warm father figure. Newman rips into the role, and watching this master at work is a thrill, whether playing a piano duet with Sullivan or viciously ordering a hit. Newman and Hanks are just as terrific together onscreen, their confidence is palpable, their talents entirely in the service of character and not ego. And when they end up on opposing sides, it's devastating and riveting.

Tragedy and revenge are the sparks that ignites Perdition's saga. Rooney's actual son, Connor (Daniel Craig, a livewire) resents the affection and love he bestows on Michael. When Michael Jr. is found hiding in the trunk of the car Michael and Connor are driving, Connor is paranoid the boy will talk about what he saw. Connor murders Sullivan's wife and youngest son, leaving Michael and Jr. to go on the run to Chicago, in a futile attempt to seek aid Frank Nitti (the great Stanley Tucci) a lieutenant of Al Capone. They must also dodge Maguire (Jude Law, my favorite role he ever did), a crime photographer who doubles as a hit man. Maguire enjoys clicking the shutter as a victim is dying before his eyes. Law is perversity incarnate, all thinning hair and rotting teeth. He's just too excellent.

Shot in harsh winter, with rain everywhere, Road's greatest legacy is the work of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who captures scenes of shootouts and bank robberies with poetic ease. It's pure camera artistry from Hall, who won a posthumous Oscar. Add to that Thomas Newell's haunting score, and Road To Perdition is an artistic triumph.

Still, it's the actors who really bring the movie to vibrant life, and they all manage to cut deep on a personal level. 'We are all murderers in this room', says Rooney to Sullivan. This is a movie with words and scenes that get under your skin, and stay there for good measure. That's why it deserves to be called one of the greatest of the last decade.