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IMDb > Road to Perdition (2002)
Road to Perdition
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Road to Perdition (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   73,284 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 63% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sam Mendes
Writers (WGA):
Max Allan Collins (graphic novel) and
Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Road to Perdition on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 July 2002 (USA) more
Tagline:
Pray for Michael Sullivan more
Plot:
Bonds of loyalty are put to the test when a hitman's son witnesses what his father does for a living. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 51 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(88 articles)
Best Dads, Bad Dads & Dads you’d like to do
 (From AwardsDaily. 21 June 2009, 7:53 AM, PDT)

Sherlock Holmes: Elementary My Dear Watson
 (From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 19 June 2009, 12:03 PM, PDT)

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

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence and language.
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Company:
DreamWorks SKG more

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Becoming Bond (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Alma Redemptoris Mater more

FAQ

Is Road to Perdition a remake of Lone Wolf and Cub?
Why did Mike kill Mr. Kelly?/Did he take the money?
The film ends with a dedication to Conrad L. Hall. Who was he?
more
31 out of 38 people found the following comment useful:-
`Road to Perdition' is a rocky road of revenge and reconciliation, punctuated by some gorgeous Conrad Hall cinematography., 9 July 2002
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

`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.

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Paul Newman Agent-69
Anyone else see the end coming? **SPOILERS** QTJewels19
One one the most underrated movies..... liljayl23
Question *spoilers* deadman1206
Jude Law and Hanks in the Diner scene chillingafstyle
Jude Law aa-winkelmann
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