The most serene of all mob films, Road to Perdition is a beautifully crafted, finely composed & calmly narrated tale that not only succeeds as an effective crime thriller but also paints a touching portrait of father-son relationship over the course of its runtime and is equally notable for marking the final on-screen appearance of the legendary Paul Newman.

Set in the early 1930s during the Great Depression, the story of Road to Perdition concerns Michael Sullivan Sr.; an enforcer for the Irish mobster John Rooney who share a father-son like relationship. But these bonds of loyalty are soon put to test when Rooney's son murders Sullivan's family after Sullivan Jr. ends up witnessing what his father does for a living.…

In a surprising career choice, director Sam Mendes, decided to follow-up his Oscar winning debut film with a pulpy adaptation of a graphic novel about a gangster in 1930s Chicago. Although certainly unexpected it was a welcome change with Mendes once again tackling a very American genre despite his British roots.

Road to Perdition is a story of vengeance, redemption, loyalty and paternal bonds as former mob enforcer, Michael Sullivan, is forced to go on the run with his 12-year old son after his boy is witness to a killing. Mendes slathers the film in religious imagery and biblical portent as Sullivan attempts to save his son and atone for his sins. What the film may lack in subtlety it…

A motion picture of unique softness in a genre habitually packed with unyielding brutality, Road to Perdition subverts the gangster mould with its prodigious heart and motifs of retribution and bondage firmly inscribed in the nucleus of the film. The picture glows with intimacy, a focal point in the works of Sam Mendes, whose grip on families confronting desolation is second to none and is the vanguard of the canvas here. All characters apart of the mob know and believe their only true destination is perdition; they're born, they work, they have a family, they perish. Road to Perdition speaks of a story where one man decides to contravene this unanimous law and break away from the system for the…

"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…

[last lines]
Michael Sullivan, Jr.: I saw then that my father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road. And that was the last time I ever held a gun. People always thought I grew up on a farm. And I guess, in a way, I did. But I lived a lifetime before that, in those six weeks on the road in the winter of 1931. When people ask me if Michael Sullivan was a good man, or if there was just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I just tell them... he was my father.

Loyalty is one thing that has been common is gangster or Mafia stories. And some…

Due to another film shortage, I again had to revert to the limitations of TV! On tonight was Road to Perdition, directed by Sam Mendes and based on a graphic novel of the same name. The story is set in the American Midwest during the Great Depression. Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney and views him as a father figure. After Mikes kid is witness to a killing he has done, Rooneys mentally unstable son tries to kill Mikes family however the kid that witnessed the killing escapes. Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run trying to save the life of his surviving son and at the same time seeking vengeance on those who…

Conrad Hall's cinematography...jaw-dropping. The precision in the images and visual story is intoxicating. This is celluloid as ash, the grain glazing everything over in a frosty, funeral-like haze. It's moody and painterly. A gangster B-pic as seen by Edward Hopper. I could watch this film on a loop just for the images, but I don't need to because my memory of them never fades. Wow.

Anyway, as far as stories about fathers and sons go this one aint bad. I especially like Hanks' against-type casting. It is one of the few times he's tried to debase his persona by playing a cold asshole and he mostly manages it. It doesn't go all the way of-course, because, as the clunky voice-over…

PERDITION-(in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.
Paul Newman lays out the moral code for this film: "There are only murderers in this room...only one guarantee: none of us will see Heaven." Tom Hanks, by that code, will burn. As much as he's tortured by it, as much as he's a moral man, he's fucked. The strong moral conflict makes this "gangster flick" heart-wrenching. This guilt is damn near expressed physically by water; between Hank's perma watery eyes and the pouring rain during the most dramatic murders, Road to Perdition is an illustration of a tortured soul.
I'd love to see more gangster films like this, character…

Summer of Scam: The June / July Crime Season 2

I've never really thought Sam Mendes to be a hugely interesting director, despite enjoying some of his stuff, although I'm not sure that's the reason I never got round to Road to Perdition.

It's one of those cases of feeling like I was bombarded with this film back in 2002 so much that it got on my tits and I didn't want to watch it after that. Since then it kind of disappeared off my radar and I don't really remember there being much chat about it round here to ignite any interest in it. This is one of the reasons why I do projects!

I'll quite often be reminded…