Album Reviews
Movies
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

Sam Mendes (American Beauty) makes another film about a sorely flawed man. But this time he shows that sins have consequences.Good for him.

I approached Road to Perdition with trepidation. Sam Mendes's last film still troubles me today. Fortunately, Road to Perdition is far better, a film I will gladly see again and recommend to friends.

This is a dark, violent, and burdensome tale in that its characters seem religious but fail to grasp the simplest truths about the gospel they claim to believe. Is that the fault of the scriptwriter, or just his characters? I'm not sure. Road to Perdition is set in a world where redemption must be earned rather than granted, and its Catholic characters don't seem to see the error in their beliefs. But the troubles of the men who believe such things are powerfully portrayed, and thus might nudge audiences to appeal to God's mercy rather than subject themselves to the futility of trying to earn their own salvation. 

Sam Mendes is responsible for, in my opinion, the most overrated, emotionally manipulative movie of the decade... American Beauty. [Warning: My inevitable paraphrased rant follows. If you don't want to hear it, skip these two paragraphs.]

I know many were moved by that film and loved it. It did indeed have some insightful observations. But that film made me want to go wash up afterwards. 

Screenwriter Allan Ball made reckless self-interested liberals into the likeable characters and stereptyped conservatives into spiteful, violent, chauvenistic, homophobic villains who sympathize with Nazis. Good grief. 

The movie was made to glorify those who trample each other on the path to self-improvement. It championed self-interest with brazen irresponsibility. Drugs? Pedophilia? Hey, if they're a stepping stone on the road to self-discovery, you're still an honorable man and... to quote the hero of the film... "you have nothing to be sorry for." But if you have any convictions that step on a liberals right to recklessly pursue his fantasies, you're the Devil. American Beauty preached its few small moral sermons with all the subtelty of a sledgehammer. I'm not exactly conservative, but this film's anti-conservative prejudice was so vividly bold-faced that I felt like I'd been to a political rally for the extreme-left. 

Fortunately, Road to Perdition is quieter, better crafted, full of performances that speak of subtlety rather than smugness, and is full of beautiful cinematography. 

Based on a graphic novel of the same title (with a "The" preceding it), Perdition is scripted by David Self. Self makes this a compelling parable, like a Greek tragedy or a Bible story. It's heavy handed and simplistic at times, but actions have consequences. The wages of sin is shown here to be death, not self-discovery. Rather than The Godfather or Miller's Crossing, this film recalls, above all, Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. And I think it is uncanny that it has been released in the same year as Insomnia, which deals with similar themes.

Unfortunately, Self avoids any probing exploration of the story's spiritual implications. But he does effectively illuminate some profound scriptural lessons--most importantly, "The sins of the fathers will be visited upon the sons." Are sons doomed to suffer the consequences of their fathers? Are grownups able to carry on secret sins without influencing their children? Is the cycle of killing and revenge inescapable? 

Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a father, husband, and gangster in the winter of 1931. His hands are filthy with the dirty work of carrying out shadowy agendas for Mr. Rooney (Paul Newman), the man who "rules the town". Rooney loves Sullivan like a son, it's clear. This love comes from loyalty, and from his detestation of his own son, Connor (Daniel Craig), a reckless and rebellious man who is ambitious for his father's throne. Connor's jealousy turns the situation into a ticking time bomb. And Sullivan's belief that he can carry on this life without influencing his sons is the mistake that will set the chain of destruction in motion. 

As Sullivan, Hanks turns in my favorite of his performances this decade, precisely because it's all about a character instead of an Amazing Acting Feat. Sure, he gained a little weight to play the character, but he's not distracting us with Gumpisms or a disease or starvation or madness. He's a loving father, a man with strong religious beliefs, and yet burdened by guilt for the things he has done out of fear. You could store a lot of loose change in the furrows of that brow. 

Newman turns in just what you'd expect...a solid, authoritative performance that suggests deep spiritual unrest. "Only one thing is certain," he declares, with despair in his face, "none of us will see heaven." And in the film's truest moment, he upsets the audience's desire for revenge by facing down our "hero" and saying, "There are only murderers in this room!" 

As Sullivan's son Michael, the film's narrator and the lens through which we see these dark giants do combat, young Daniel Hoechlin looks like a young 12-year-old Ray Liotta...he already has the dark eyes, and his face speaks of lessons learned too early. But I wasn't convinced by him in the crucial moments of transition and emotion. He looked like he was fumbling around for the key to a great moment. It reminded me of what a rare gift Haley Joel Osment and the young Christian Bale possessed as child actors with grownup resources. I was also disappointed that Jennifer Jason Leigh's supreme talents were wasted in a short, near-silent role.

Jude Law nearly steals the film in a small but effective role as a photographer and assassin. He has the most frightening teeth since Gary Oldman in True Romance, and he gives this freakish killer little habits and details that emphasize his cold-blooded instincts, his attention to detail, his love of his bloody work. 

The big-names aside, I come away most impressed with an actor that I have long desired to see on the big screen. I first encountered Daniel Craig in a PBS murder mystery called _The Ice House_, where he played an investigator trying to break free of alcoholism. His face was haggard and battle-scarred, his eyes like two ice houses themselves. He was riveting. Then, he stalked onto the screen quite memorably in a painfully small role in the Cate Blanchett Elizabeth, playing an assassin priest. Here, he's another killer, and his smile is as chilling as I've ever seen. He plays both a whining and pathetically jealous son, and a violent crook so reckless that you will fear him. This is how Anakin Skywalker should appear in Episode 3, but only Craig could play him with such menace. (And, sadly, he's too old.) 

When Young Michael gets daddy in trouble and the two go on the run, the film makes some turns that will surprise those who have not read reviews. (Most reviews I've read spoil the big surprise that comes about 30 minutes into the film.)It becomes a fugitive film. Like Minority Report, here we have another hero who may or may not be guilty, who may have to pay for his sins even though we care about him. Like Insomnia, we have a hero whose hands are dirty, and who will influence his adoring apprentice to either  compromise or stay clean. 

While most thrillers these days are filmed with saturated colors, Mendes saturates his film in rain. This gives the great Conrad Hall many opportunities to film dazzling plays of light, shadow, and falling pinpoints of light. It could have been hypnotic, but the tone is often spoiled by Thomas Newman's painfully redundant, inappropriately trite soundtrack, one that resembles American Beauty far too closely. 

And, sadly, the film stays in the shallows. Right away, we see Mendes trying to suggest the religious significance of his story. But he does so merely by crowding it with religious decorations--there are Catholic icons everywhere you turn. But I could find no evidence that Mendes or Self were aware of how the Father/Son dynamics raise questions about God/Mankind dynamics. And they show no awareness of how the characters' belief in a judgmental, legalistic God conflicts with the God of grace portrayed in the gospel. It goes unquestioned that we get to heaven or hell based on our deeds, not forgiveness or grace. For folks who go to mass regularly, they're remarkably ignorant about the gospel. 

There could have been so much more here. But Mendes makes his rather simple moral point with all the operatic resonance of some great awakening, just like he did in American Beauty. We've already figured out "the moral of the story" long before he arrives there. In fact, we're anticipating how it will end. I was disappointed at how, instead of being surprised at all by the conclusion, I just sat there and clocked how long the movie held its breath before the inevitable. 

That's not to say the film isn't engaging. Thanks to Conrad Hall and the actors, Road to Perdition is one of the year's most watchable, if not profound, films. It spells out its simple morality play in the most obvious terms, but we're enjoying the light and shadow and rain so much, we don't mind. And Hanks, Newman, Craig, and Law bring so much complexity, so much depth of feeling to every line that we want them to live so we can see them move on into more interesting circumstances. 

I've done this before with Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind ... predicted Best Picture Oscars right after seeing them. I'm not so confident this time, but I won't be surprised if this wins the big award. Frankly, I wouldn't mind too much, seeing how it is better than both of those previous winners. But in my opinion, this is a strong, but not an excellent, work. It doesn't come close to the intensity and impact of Miller's Crossing or The Godfather films, and there's nothing like the breathless suspense scenes of The Untouchables. But Perdition will last will last as a simple parable, starkly outlined, with talented actors shading these pencil sketches with wisdom and detail. 

Jeffrey Overstreet 7/11/2002

The Road to Perdition feels like the kind of European movie that gets nominated for a foreign language Oscar. It has exquisitely lush production values, the stature of a period piece with a loose connection to actual people and events, and enough portent to drown a news anchor. The movie also embodies the emptiness common to big-budget European movies--lots of style and very little substance. This is not to say that Road to Perdition is a bad or even unenjoyable movie. It's very watchable and a welcome relief from the summer explosions, but it's a significant step backward from the people who brought us American Beauty.

It has become common in the last couple of years for critics to trash American Beauty (Jonathan Rosenbaum calls it a "piece of kiddie porn" in his latest review), but I'll stand by my initial description of 'masterpiece.' If you can get past Annette Bening's underwritten and histrionic part, the movie is a beautifully photographed meditation on finding beauty in the smallest details and learning to both smell and see the roses we pass every day. The acting is fantastic, and the story is deeply moving.

Road to Perdition is certainly beautifully photographed, but then that's true of pretty much every movie that features the cinematography of Conrad Hall. Here his palette of dark browns and blacks is lightened periodically with stunning grays and greens. It's a stark contrast with the bright, lush colors of American Beauty, but it's no less beautiful. And Hall's camera movement is fantastic. An opening sequence of a young boy riding a bike is almost breathtaking, as is a shot of a car driving down a country road. But Hall's static compositions are just as wonderful. As in American Beauty, there's a striking horizontal shot of a family at the dinner table; and a nighttime shootout in the rain is just awesome, as the layers of black reverberate in the cars, umbrellas, and fedoras.

Unfortunately, director Sam Mendes transferred the beauty of American Beauty into his latest picture but none of the depth. The story is a pretty typical revenge tale. It's 1930s Chicago, and Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a hitman for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). When Sullivan's 12-year-old son Michael (played by newcomer Tyler Hoechlin) happens to witness one of his father's hits, the family is in jeopardy. Rooney's cavalier son Connor (Daniel Craig) would be in a great deal of trouble if Michael ever told what happened. So Connor takes matters in his own hands and attempts to kill Mike and his boy. Instead, he kills Mike's wife and younger son.

Now the two Mikes are on the run, trying to find a way to make peace with John Rooney while also gaining revenge on Connor. With all of the emphasis on fathers and sons, it won't surprise anyone that John Rooney sees the older Mike Sullivan as a better son than his own flesh and blood. It's a standard motif in this sort of thing. This is unfortunately true for the entire film, which has few surprises. The only character who doesn't come out the stock company of prohibition roles is Maguire (Jude Law), a creepy news photographer who picks up money as a hitman. But he quickly falls into the familiar type of the villain who cannot be stopped, only outrun.

The point of Road to Perdition, as far as I can tell, is that sons look at their fathers differently than other people do and that you shouldn't always want to grow up to be like your dad. Well, you won't get an argument from me, but there's not much there there, if you know what I mean.

My friend Garth mentioned that my understanding of the film might be a little unfair, tied as it is to my expectations of what the movie *could* be. But I don't agree. The movie assumes a grand view of itself and presents itself to us as a fine work of art. It moves at what can only be described as a stately pace, demanding that the audience soak in every picture, every utterance. It has a pretentious voice-over that opens and closes the film and asks us to think great thoughts. It revels in its own style, as if it's reinventing the family gangster tale. Some blurb writer actually compared it to The Godfather, and that's plain silly.

On the other hand, if you're just in the mood to watch Tom Hanks and Paul Newman strut their stuff, Road to Perdition will certainly do the trick. Both men have done better work, but even their average performances have charm to spare. I also enjoyed Stanley Tucci's performance as a mob boss who tries to intervene. And let's not forget the film is simply gorgeous. Unfortunately, it's not much more than that. 

J. Robert Parks 7/15/2002

All they that live by the sword shall perish by the sword, according to the Bible. In __Road to Perdition__, substitute Tommy gun and sawed-off shotgun for sword and you just about have the film. Even people remotely connected to the sword-livers are touched as it becomes a six degrees of separation dance of death. Such was the novel by Max Allen Collins and such is the screenplay by David Self. 

There are many definitions of the word "family," and for Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) it means being chief hit man for the Irish family of crime boss Rooney (Paul Newman). It is the Great Depression and Rooney's business is various illegal activities connected with Frank Nitti in Chicago. Rooney's only son is impetuous Connor (Daniel Craig), but Rooney favors Michael, virtually another son. Michael is married with two sons, Michael, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) and Peter (Liam Aiken). When Michael, Jr. becomes interested in Dad's work and sees too much, disaster is brought down on the entire family. Dad and Michael, Jr. are on the run for their lives with a hit man (Jude Law) on their trail. It is the instinct for survival and the protection of real family---Michael for Michael, Jr. and Rooney for Connor---that makes the film as the audience has to decide if there is honor among thieves.

Paul Newman could command a fleet with those blue eyes and in Road to Perdition, he steals every scene he is in. He is on top of his game here whether playing the friendly uncle to Michael, Jr. and Peter or ordering a hit. Tom Hanks underplays his role to near-perfection as a man caught up in a life he once thought was stable. When the irrational Connor proclaims that he is "the future of crime," one senses a chill in the theater because over the decades, crime has gone from a semblance of honorable to psychotic. Jude Law is a hit man with an odd way of remembering his victims. It is the newcomer Tyler Hoechlin as Michael, Jr., on the run with Dad and robbing banks for travel money that holds the film together. He resembles Hanks and they move together like father and son. Hanks grooms Michael, Jr. for survival, but it is with one eye over his shoulder because there is goodness here. Jennifer Jason Leigh has a small role as Hanks wife. Lest the audience think the film is all gloom and doom, there are moments of humor such as when Hanks teaches Hoechlin to drive a getaway car and each time they do a bank robbery when Hanks has more trouble entering the car than from the bank officials. One can already think of Oscar nomination time for Best Actor (Hanks), Supporting Actor (Newman, Craig and Law), soundtrack, script and director. 

Road to Perdition is a violent film, yet much of it is off screen and implied but sometimes the imagination can be the best horror film of all. You may hear a gunshot, but what really happened? Cinematographer Conrad L. Hall does a masterful job of framing each shot so it could stand alone as a picture. Thomas Newman's score is evocative of the period, with an Irish lilt at times, especially at the beginning when Hanks and Newman play a simple piano duet. The frailty of the music belies the future with the sword lying just under the sheets of music.

Copyright 2002 Marie Asner 7/19/2002