Road to Perdition
2002 Directed by Sam Mendes
Synopsis
Bonds of loyalty are put to the test when a hitman's son witnesses what his father does for a living.
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 attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
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"It's all just so fucking hysterical."
Sam Mendes followed up his award winning American Beauty with another beautiful film, Road To Perdition. He doesn't surpass the beauty of American Beauty, but this is still an incredible outing. He creates complex characters within a compelling story and it is stunning to watch with amazing visuals, cinematography, and POV shots (some of the best to grace the silver screen).
The acting is outstanding, especially coming from Tom Hanks. I've gotten so used to him in nice guy roles that I never saw this rather cold performance as a hitman coming. Paul Newman is also terrific in his final performance and what a way to go out. They say if you're gonna go…
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"Top 100 of all time Selection"
"Top 10 Films 2002 Selection"
"Top 20 Comic book/Graphic Novel selection"Sam Mendes adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name is breathtaking, I am surprise it took me so long to watch this film, the soundtrack is beautiful, Conrad Hall's cinematography is gorgeous and Tom Hank's performance is hands down perfect.
Road to Perdition will be in heavy rotation for now on, despite the dark path that follows. -
Natural law. Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers.
-John RooneyI admit that I cringe a little (ok a lot) when people compare this film to The Godfather. I'm happy I originally watched it before it was ever compared to Godfather because I could imagine hating the movie with a great passion viewing it under those circumstances. Road to Perdition never attempts to be anything like The Godfather.
With that out of the way, I think this film is quite amazing. There's scenes I absolutely love and could watch over and over again out of context. They include the diner conversation between Harlen (Jude Law) and Mike (Tom Hanks). I just love how that scene was…
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Loved it just as much as the first time I saw it such a long time ago. This is an incredibly beautiful yet heartbreaking film. It is a gangster movie, but not your run-of-the-mill gangster movie. While it is full of gangster film iconography, the real story is that of a father who wants to protect his son from the crude reality of the life he lives.
Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is the right hand of Irish mafia boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), and Rooney treats hims almost like a second son. John's true son, Connor (Daniel Craig), is a bit reckless. When Sullivan's 12 year old son Michael (Tyler Hoechlin) accidentally witnesses one of Connor's misguided actions, John Rooney…
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A beautifully directed and heartfelt modern mob film. Tom Hanks has to go on the run from the mob after his son witnesses a murder. This is my favorite from Sam Mendes and is an excellent portrayal of the strong bond between father and son.
The cinematography was fantastic. Every shot was technically perfect and looked fantastic. For those who have just seen Skyfall and won't be expecting much stylistically from this will have a pleasant surprise. I'm not saying Skyfall is shot badly it's just nothing like this. The set design/costume deign in this are also amazing, there must have been a very high budget. The music is simple but effective, just solemn and sparse piano almost the entire…
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;_;
Is it just me, or is Road to Perdition severely underrated? The film is beautiful, and wonderfully acted. It is violent, but incredibly heartfelt. And after watching it in its entirety for
The first time (I had only caught bits and pieces on tv) I was pleasantly surprised.One of the things that really caught me off guard was the chilling and atmospheric cinematography. It is beautifully photographed be Conrad Hall, who also worked with director Sam Mendes on American Beauty, which was another beautifully shot movie. This man has some great talent that shines from the first screen till the last.
The film ends with a stab in the heart, but then quickly reassures you that what just…
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Tom Hanks gives and outstanding performance, and the cinematography is gorgeous. A pretty simple plot and very emotional story. The sound design is awesome! The gunshots are so loud and pop really well on a good system. Loved the final act of the film. The street scene in the rain was spectacular!
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This film got better as it went on, very slow burning with a fantastic and reserved performance from Tom Hanks with a period setting looks beautiful. Mendes has created a great gangster film with a powerful underlining story about the relationships between Fathers and Sons.
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Aside from an unfortunate performance by Tyler Hoechlin in the role of Michael Sullivan, Jr., this is a really awesome flick.
Tom Hanks at the tail end of his heyday, typically awesome, but this time in a little bit different of a role as a hitman who is not conflicted about what he does, but would be doing something very different if he felt he had a choice. While Hoechlin is pretty weak as Hanks' son (child actors, what can you do), they do have some pretty good scenes together.
Paul Newman sort of seemed like he might have already been dead in the first half of this movie, but turns it on in the second act and delivers in…
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its just yelling
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I remember an interview with Sam Mendes where he denied he was an auteur, he said he was a storyteller. And I keep thinking about what he said every time I watch one of his films, hadn't seen this one before and as I was watching, yup I was thinking that he's maybe not quite an auteur but he is a pretty damn good storyteller. Having said that I think there are quite beautiful touches that are down to Mendes, notably that mass shooting scene in the rain, that reminded me of American Beauty. Tom Hanks is great, Jude Law is freaky and very good his accent is unrecognisable, Daniel Craig is great, Paul Newmans great, Thomas Newmans music is cinematic and emotional and yeah but it lacks a certain director umppphh, but it has enough to be very good and it looks brilliant.
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Wow, didn't think I could like tom hanks more but, Michael Sullivan is brilliantly played, as well as Jude law as Maguire, I wouldn't think it was him
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Love this one! Cannot believe that it took me this long to see it. Fantastic all the way through. Just enough suspense mixed with some great family emotions. Dad/son scenes tugged at those heartstrings the perfect amount. Don't know why but I still get surprised when Jude Law delivers. He did creepy really well.
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Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a hit man in the Irish mafia, working under the harsh, but kind John Rooney (Paul Newman) during the great depression. Rooney’s son Connor (Daniel Craig) is a ruthless son of a bitch, desperate to take power. When Michael’s son Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses a hit, Connor has Michael’s family killed. Michael Jr. manages to survive and father and son head out on the road to escape and find peace. As they travel, the younger Michael learns what kind of man his father is, and discovers the hard learned truth that no one, not even a father, can be defined in black and white terms. Sam Mendes( American Beauty, Away We Go) directs the film as both a taut gangster thriller and a touching look at a relationship between father and son.
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Incredible work as always by the great Sam Mendes. Arresting cinematography, moving moments, and fantastic performances by all -- especially from a creepy Jude Law. Nowhere close to Mendes's work on his masterpieces like American Beauty, but it is a wonderful followup to it nonetheless.