Road To Perdition (2002)

"There are many stories about Michael Sullivan. Some say he was a decent man. Some say there was no good in him at all. But I once spent 6 weeks on the road with him, in the winter of 1931. This is our story."


Michael Sullivan Snr. (Tom Hanks) is both a member of an organised crime mob and a father to his son Michael Sullivan Jnr and Peter. Peter and Michael Jnr curiously wonder what their father does for a living and eventually Michael Jnr sneaks into the back of his fathers car when he and fellow mob member Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig) are sent on a job. Through a hole in the bottom of a door to the warehouse where the job takes place young Michael witnesses the brutal killing of a man by Connor. When Michael Snr and Connor flee the area they notice Michael Jnr and it is obvious that he saw the horrors that occurred inside the warehouse.

This incident, the first time that Michael Jnr witnesses what his father does for a living sets off a series of events that makes up the majority of the film's story and allows us to see the various themes that are evident in Road To Perdition. Ultimately the film is about the consequence of gangsterism and more specifically living a violent life as an individual impacts on your life as a member of a biological family. And this it what a like about Road To Perdition. Most films like to glamorise violence but Road To Perdition flips this over showing how this type of life can negatively impact your offspring. I also like the touch of both father and son being called Michael Sullivan. This deliberate naming of your child as your own name instills thoughts of the father wanting his son to grow up in the same way as he did but in this case this is far from the truth as we can get.

It is also imperative that attention is given not only to the father son relationship between the two Michael Sullivan's but to the other 'father and son' relationship that we see. Here I refer to the relationship between John Rooney, father of Connor who unlike Michael was all for his son following in his footsteps, and Michael Sullivan Snr. Although not biologically related there is a clear sense of a father/son relationship between the pair with Hanks' character looking up to Rooney as a father figure of such. We see evidence of this when Sullivan Snr explains to his sons that Rooney helped the family out in times of trouble in the past indicating that Sullivan has viewed Rooney as a father figure for many years. The last half hour of the film is where the plot really steps up to the next level. It is an incredibly powerful half hour even if it does suffer from being quite predictable and fatalistic. It is here that Sullivan Snr's choice of choosing his relationship with Rooney over that of his sons really comes back to trouble him.

On an acting level I was entirely convinced by Tom Hanks' performance. I felt he was a little uneasy and unsure of himself at times but nothing too tragic. Neither Daniel Craig or Paul Newman overly impressed me either but again their performances weren't bad so to speak. I thought the standout performance went to Jude Law. I haven't seen many films in which he is required to play 'the villian' but he was convincing here and probably should have at least been nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.


But back to the positives. The cinematography here is simply wonderful, surely one of the best efforts of 2002. The opening photo to this review is just one example of this and it is no surprise than Conrad Hall won a posthumous Academy Award for his efforts here. The night time scenes really are a joy to look at as Hall uses some truly original lighting effects whic results in some beautiful looking shots. Hall also perfectly captures the rain drops dripping from the characters clothing as they walk through many a Chicago downpour.

The film also has its humerous moments particularly when Michael Snr is teaching Michael Jnr how to drive prematurly so that Michael Jnr can act as his father's getaway driver from the various banks he needs to 'take' money from. In one scene, Michael Snr has exited one particular bank but Mcihael Jnr is nowhere to be seen. Then, gradually, a car appears on screen as Michael Jnr slowly pulls up at the side of the road.

I guess the main question is do I like Road To Perdition? Well I guess I do. It's not Mendes' best (for that see American Beauty) but it certainly comes with the highest of recommendations and further strengthens my thought that Mendes is a special director of whose other works I am keen to see. Many comparisons can be made between American Beauty and Road To Perdition however despite them being from rather different genres. Both have as their focus the emotional family problems suffered by one man in the situation he finds himself in in his life and it is a topic that Mendes handles perfectly. The plot, as I have said, is nothing entirely special but it is Mendes' attention to detail in what plot we do have, the emotions that Mendes' stirs inside of us as a viewer, Hall's wonderful cinematography and the spectacularly slow but incredible pacing to the film that I truly respect about it and what stands it above many films.

Rating: 8.5/10 - highly recommended.