Road to Perdition is a movie that brings you in with the strong performances of its acting cast and keeps your interest with cinematography that is some of the finest ever seen in Hollywood. It is a tale of fathers, their sons, and the gangster era of Al Capone. It pits hit man Michael Sulivan (Hanks) against a bounty hunter (Jude Law) who has been hired by his boss, and father figure John Rooney (Paul Newman) as Sulivan attempts to kill Rooney's trigger happy son (Daniel Craig). At the same time Sulivan must teach and protect his son (Tyler Hoechlin).
Without spoiling anymore plot points of the film I can say that the center of this film is the bonds forged by fatherhood. Sulivan seeing John Rooney as a father figure gives this movie an entirely new depth that wasn't seen in Max Allan Collins' graphic novel. Don't get me wrong, the movie also loses several aspects of its source material; I would have liked them to use the ending from the graphic novel that shows what type of man Michael Sulivan Jr. grows up to be. Road to Perdition is a stylish movie adaption of a great graphic novel that knows what to change without ruining the store. In many ways this makes it similar to 1994's The Crow, where the story is drastically changed, but through visuals and music the film not only feels like the graphic novel, but manages to reach greatness all its own.
Acting from Hanks and Newman is absolutely phenomenal. Both actors really give it their best and give off a strong sense of emotional attachment and care. Hanks turns in a great performance as an anti-hero proving that he is one of the greatest actors currently living and Paul Newman makes sure his final performance is a great one. The rest of the cast is good too, but this pair is absolutely dynamite! Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall (who would win the Academy award for his work in this film) create an awesome visual experience. Sam Mendes said that after the Best Picture winning American Beauty he wanted to make a film that focused more on telling its story through visuals instead of dialogue and he succeeds. This is a well crafted drama that lets its images do all the talking that is needed to tell the story.
The somber score by Thomas Newman captures the mood of this period piece. It doesn't have much excitement in it, but it has a quiet, eerie tune that helps the mood. A song entitled 'Ghosts' which appears in one of the climatic scenes is one of the most beautiful, haunting pieces of music I've ever heard.
Road to Perdition's father and son element is probably the main hook for me as a viewer, and there are imperfections in the film, but for the emotional response it received from me I can't help but give it high-marks. It is stylish, taught, emotional, and a blast to watch as Tom Hanks finds his inner-gangster!
Without spoiling anymore plot points of the film I can say that the center of this film is the bonds forged by fatherhood. Sulivan seeing John Rooney as a father figure gives this movie an entirely new depth that wasn't seen in Max Allan Collins' graphic novel. Don't get me wrong, the movie also loses several aspects of its source material; I would have liked them to use the ending from the graphic novel that shows what type of man Michael Sulivan Jr. grows up to be. Road to Perdition is a stylish movie adaption of a great graphic novel that knows what to change without ruining the store. In many ways this makes it similar to 1994's The Crow, where the story is drastically changed, but through visuals and music the film not only feels like the graphic novel, but manages to reach greatness all its own.
Acting from Hanks and Newman is absolutely phenomenal. Both actors really give it their best and give off a strong sense of emotional attachment and care. Hanks turns in a great performance as an anti-hero proving that he is one of the greatest actors currently living and Paul Newman makes sure his final performance is a great one. The rest of the cast is good too, but this pair is absolutely dynamite! Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall (who would win the Academy award for his work in this film) create an awesome visual experience. Sam Mendes said that after the Best Picture winning American Beauty he wanted to make a film that focused more on telling its story through visuals instead of dialogue and he succeeds. This is a well crafted drama that lets its images do all the talking that is needed to tell the story.
The somber score by Thomas Newman captures the mood of this period piece. It doesn't have much excitement in it, but it has a quiet, eerie tune that helps the mood. A song entitled 'Ghosts' which appears in one of the climatic scenes is one of the most beautiful, haunting pieces of music I've ever heard.
Road to Perdition's father and son element is probably the main hook for me as a viewer, and there are imperfections in the film, but for the emotional response it received from me I can't help but give it high-marks. It is stylish, taught, emotional, and a blast to watch as Tom Hanks finds his inner-gangster!