Road to Perdition (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 12, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $104,054,514
Synopsis: Directed by Sam Mendes and based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, the Depression-era crime epic ROAD TO PERDITION stars Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, a quiet hit man who is duty bound to Mafia boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). The mobster's close bond with... Directed by Sam Mendes and based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, the Depression-era crime epic ROAD TO PERDITION stars Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, a quiet hit man who is duty bound to Mafia boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). The mobster's close bond with Sullivan, however, leads Rooney's jealous blood son, Connor (Daniel Craig), to orchestrate a tragic series of events that results in Sullivan on the run with his 12-year-old son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). Soon an unscrupulous crime photographer/assassin named Maguire (Jude Law) is sent after Sullivan and his son, and Sullivan must decide on a course of action as young Michael comes to terms with his father's violent way of life. Meticulously directed by Mendes and brilliantly photographed by Conrad Hall, each scene of ROAD TO PERDITION has the composition of an expertly crafted painting. Making effective use of rain, snow, and shadows, the filmmakers create a cinematic world that's as dark, cold, and unforgiving as many of its inhabitants. But the film also allows for glimpses of emotional warmth, particularly in Sullivan's relationships with his son and Rooney, his surrogate father. In these roles, the respective actors create complex characters that resonate even in their restraint. Hanks is outstanding as a man of action with little time for words, while Hoechlin creates an unsentimental portrait of a confused boy; Newman once again proves why he's a screen legend and, in a strikingly unflattering role, Law makes the most out of his screen time as a creepy, parasitic hit man. Even in its harshest moments, however, Mendes never fails to remind the audience that ROAD TO PERDITION is a film about fathers and sons; and this is what elevates it from an atmospheric gangster movie to a truly astonishing work of art. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Tyler Hoechlin, Daniel Craig
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Sam Mendes's 2002 follow-up to American Beauty finds him every bit as adept, arty, and Oscar hungry.
Ploughing a furrowed brow, Hanks is fatally miscast -- except that the story turns so sentimental and bathetic, he's actually in his element.
A simple parable, starkly outlined, with talented actors shading these sketches with wisdom and detail.
Mendes has proven that he must be counted among the greatest directors
Easily the best movie so far in 2002, Road to Perdition holds its own against the finest films any year has to offer.
Along with cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, [Sam] Mendes has crafted a film that's just as exciting to look at as it is to watch.
The road they're on is too familiar, with not enough about turns.
Introspective, while never feeling ponderous … The strength of the performances lies in their subtlety …long, arduous, and heartbreaking - and worth every step of the journey.
Una película oscura, precisa, por momentos grandiosa y casi siempre conmovedora.
The film feels alternately cloaked in heavy wood paneling or soaked in cold Chi-town slush.
This is supremely crafted, grown-up moviemaking that never escapes its pulp origins.
I enjoyed The Road to Perdition immensely, but its goings-on are probably too much out there in pulp-fiction land to call it a truly great film.
Related Forums
by: Tom McMaster 8/9/06
Pictures
News
posted by Jeff Giles January 25, 2008
He made his cinematic bones with dramatic films such as American Beauty and Road to Perdition, but director Sam Mendes...
posted by Scott Weinberg June 16, 2007
Already off to a great start (we hope) with "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk," the Marvel...
posted by Scott Weinberg June 29, 2006
Fans of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series have reason to rejoice this morning: New Line Cinema...
posted by Scott Weinberg April 28, 2006
While the hiring of Jon Favreau as "Iron Man" director is pretty exciting movie-geek news, it seems that...

Top Critic


