Poll Position: Road to Perdition (2002)

Both Jim and I have seen a numerous amounts of mafia/gangster films and last week’s “Runner-Up” poll winner is another one that fits the bill. “Road to Perdition” is a movie with no introduction, this is one of those movies that are a ‘must see’ not only due to the fact that Tom Hanks is amazing in it, but the overall emotions that are displayed are impactful. A noteworthy fact, this is director Sam Mendes' first movie after the acclaimed “American Beauty”. Click more to read what I enjoyed most about this film.

The story takes place right after the great depression, during the prohibition in the United States. Michael Sullivan’s (Tom Hanks) son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) recently learns that his dad is a hit man for crime boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). After Jr. witness’ his dad kill a man with John’s son Connor (Dainel Craig), Connor kills both Junior’s mother and brother. This leads to father and son fleeing the town and find safety elsewhere. As they road trip to find a place to stay, they are hunted down by Harlen Maguire (Jude Law) who has been hired by the Rooney’s to kill both Sullivans. But all at the same time, Senior needs to seek revenge on the one who destroyed half his family.

Newman may be getting older, but isn't getting any worse at acting.

First of all, let me dive into the actors and characters. It was great to see Paul Newman, sadly this was his last movie he did and he did an amazing job as the boss. I really enjoyed his version of the nice boss man with a dark twist, totally sold his role. I didn’t find anything amazing from Jude Law or Daniel Craig, but it was nice to see Craig acting a bit hysterical oppose to the more serious roles I am use to seeing him play. But all the credits go to Hanks and Hoechlin, their chemistry on screen was truly breathtaking. Their connection as father and son felt genuine and heartwarming, great to see how they built up their relationship during their time on the road.

But here lies a problem I had with the movie, it starts off slow and boring. This even includes the scene when Junior sneaks in his dad’s car and watches him kill a man. The movie took a long time to build up, but once the father and son hit the road and started to flee, movie picked up and I enjoyed the rest of it. And I keep coming back to the ‘on the road’ moments. I find it to be the best part of the movie; it’s great to see the dad finally realizing he’ll need to get closer to his boy by teaching him the ins and outs of being a man.

Father:"What does the clutch do?" Son: "Well it clutches"

What bugged me the most was the ending. Not only did I see it a mile away, but the fact it was such a depressing ending to what I felt was a movie filled with overcoming obstacles and a successful vengeance. I am sure it was alright to most people, but I just disagreed with it. I didn’t want it to end this way.

A point to bring up is that the movie is shot amazingly. The cinematography is beautiful and by far top notch. Especially because this movie really uses imagery to set the mood and bring home the emotions of the characters. What I thought was intrusive was the background music, I never thought it fit the movie well, just an add on that they thought they needed.

With all that in mind, yes I did have tons of enjoyment watching this movie. I wouldn’t call it a great movie, but it is fun. It has a great story with amazing actors and characters. And if that bores you, you won’t be disappointed visually, just a great looking movie. And I agree with the folks that say this is a must see, it is one of Tom Hanks and Paul Newman’s best performance.

Great scene, really shows what Sullivan is feeling at this moment.