Road to Perdition (2002)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers (WGA):

Max Allan Collins (graphic novel) and
Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel) ...

Release Date:

12 July 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Pray for Michael Sullivan

Plot:

Bonds of loyalty are put to the test when a hitman's son witnesses what his father does for a living.

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Revenge | Mafia | Snow | Loss Of Son

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 51 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Michael Sullivan
Tyler Hoechlin	...	Michael Sullivan Jr.
Rob Maxey	...	Drugstore Owner
Paul Newman	...	John Rooney
Liam Aiken	...	Peter Sullivan
Jude Law	...	Harlen Maguire
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Annie Sullivan
Daniel Craig	...	Connor Rooney
Ciarán Hinds	...	Finn McGovern
Craig Spidle	...	Rooney's Henchman
Ian Barford	...	Rooney's Henchman
Stephen P. Dunn	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman (as Stephen Dunn)
Paul Turner	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman
Kathleen Keane	...	Irish Musician
Brendan McKinney	...	Irish Musician

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Austria:14 | Canada:14A | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | India:A | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38889)

Filming Locations:

Barrington Hills, Illinois, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Anthony LaPaglia filmed a scene in which he played Al Capone, but it was decided to leave Capone off-screen and so his scene was deleted. LaPaglia is listed first in the "special thanks" section of the credits as a result.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene at the diner with Tom Hanks and Jude Law, the shot is on Law where he appears to just be moving his hands around. The shot then goes to Hanks, and then quickly back to Law who all of a sudden has a cup of coffee, when no waiter/waitress brought it to him. He is draining the cup with sugar.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael Sullivan, Jr.: 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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Becoming Bond (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Alma Redemptoris Mater

`Road to Perdition' is a rocky road of revenge and reconciliation, punctuated by some gorgeous Conrad Hall cinematography.

`Road to Perdition' is a rocky road of revenge and reconciliation, punctuated by some gorgeous Conrad Hall cinematography. Tom Hanks is a 1930's mob hit man whose 12 year-old son sees him commit a murder. The rest of Director Sam Mendes' (`American Beauty') film is the boy's coming to terms with that knowledge. Paul Newman plays a `godfather,' a father to his errant son and like a father to Hanks.

Laced throughout are 3 father-son relationships, which seem to move toward the violent ends reserved for mobsters. Hanks' son is ambivalent about his dad, whom he seems to adore yet hold accountable for his crimes. Newman's son is like Sonny Corleone, too loose to be in charge and no heir apparent; Hanks owes his lifestyle to Newman-all these relationships are subsumed by the business needs of the larger organization.

This is noir with a dark palette, costuming in clothes metaphorically heavy, and sounding often as stylized and minimal as the murders Hanks commits. `Road to Perdition' lacks the grandeur of Coppola's `Godfather' epic, but it succeeds in evoking an old-testament judicial system where eye meets eye and tooth savages tooth. The revenge motif is too dominant to let the film rest on the promising father-son motif.

Hanks' son learns about morality and decides about following in his father's footsteps. Hanks gives another controlled performance, and Paul Newman lets us know there is room for one more powerful screen godfather.