Road to Perdition (2002)
2002
R
117 Minutes
Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attem...
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: After 'American Beauty,' Sam Mendes returns to Hollywood with a very different kind of film - the comparatively simple and heartbreakingly tragic character study of 'Road to Perdition.' Yes forget the social satire and snappy style of his previous masterpiece, as this is a much slower and darker approach where we closely follow a father and son in a very very desperate situation. It's a dower watch, and that's in part thanks to the tragic story, but also thanks to Sam Mendes' direction where an all-consuming atmosphere is built by an incredible score from Thomas Newman and extremely haunting and symbolic visuals that wrap you up in the experience tremendously. In fact, it really is a very visual film, and whilst that should hardly come as a surprise after 'American Beauty,' the dialogue is far sparser here and instead Mendes leaves room for the audience to slowly understand and immerse themselves without telling them everything. This is smart filmmaking, and it works so well here not only because of the standard of the visual techniques that Mendes uses, but also because of the performances that bring them to life where Tom Hanks and his supporting cast do great work across the board. All in all then, it's a film where visuals and atmosphere paint a very dark and difficult picture in a character study that proves Mendes is as versatile as he is adept.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Occasionally the smart visual storytelling exceeds the reach of the thematic narrative here, so some moments lose their potential emotional power.
VERDICT: A film where dark and brooding atmosphere and visuals intricately build a brilliant character study, 'Road to Perdition,' is one of the best gangster movies in a long time, and shows director Sam Mendes going from strength to strength.0 member like this review.
