Road to Perdition

December 10, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 119 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Road to Perdition is one heavy drama, with emphasis on the “heavy”. No smiles, no laughs, no comic relief. And thankfully it’s rated R and wasn’t toned down to try and bring in a younger audience.

Road to Perdition

Tom Hanks is Michael O’Sullivan, and for a change he isn’t a nice guy. O’Sullivan works for John Rooney (Paul Newman) as his “muscle”. If someone doesn’t pay on time, O’Sullivan drops by to remind them of their obligations. If they can’t or won’t pay, his job is to make an example out of them.

The setup for the story is pretty straightforward. Michael’s oldest son decides he wants to know what his dad does for a living, so he hides out in his dad’s car one night when he’s going to work. He ends up witnessing a murder, is seen by Michael and the guy he’s with, and has to learn to deal with this new reality involving his father. That itself would have made a good movie, but it doesn’t stop there. The movie turns into a father-son bonding movie as they are put into a situation where they must totally rely on each other.

This is a fantastic looking film. The cinematography is amazing, the costumes and sets are among the best I’ve ever seen in a ganster-style move, and the acting is completely top notch. There’s not a weak performance anywhere on the screen.

I can’t quite put a finger on why it didn’t earn a 5th star, but it does come very close. It moves a little slow at parts, but not terribly so… and they do it to flesh out some characters so it is worthwhile. Road to Perdition is just missing that final “spark” which would propel it to instant classic status and earn it another star. Don’t let that keep you from seeing this one though, it is well worth your time if for no other reason than to marvel at the film itself. Performances this good are rare indeed, and deserve to be seen.

Posted by John | Filed Under 4 Stars, Alfred Molina, Drama, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Paul Newman, R, Theatrical, Tom Hanks