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LowComDom Performances Presents
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LowComDom Performances Presents
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Film Review - Road to Perdition
There are many classes of film. There's your typical bubblegum film which requires you to check your brain at the door. Chick-flick, where you check your testicles at the popcorn stand. Space Opera where you load up on sugar, and red meat before the trailers are over. Then there is the "Actors' Movie".
Road to Perdition is an actors' movie. It's all about the relationships of fathers and sons. It relies on this simple theme to motivate every character's action, and to push forth the narrative.
Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan the almost adopted son of John Rooney (Paul Newman). Rooney is a mobster, and Michael is one of his trusted gunmen. Rooney has a natural son, Connor (Daniel Craig).
Connor has killed in front of Michael's son (Tyler Hoechlin). Worried that the boy would talk one day, Connor decides to kill him, but ends up killing everyone else in the family except Michael and his son. Here's the rub, Michael wants revenge. Who does John back? He knows that Connor has screwed up, but Connor is his real son. But on the other hand, Michael is his son on the emotional level.
If this doesn't get your panties in an uproar, nothing will.
Have I blown this story for you? Nope. It's not the set up that's important. It's everything that happens next. You have two sets of fathers trying to protect sons. You have one father trying to teach his son the way of life, another father realizes that he has failed to do so. Of the four people involved, only one is innocent.
In book terms this is a page turner. Everything about this film is interesting. The setting in the depression is often grey and cold, much like the main characters. Men in this film step away from typical stereotypes of macho idiots. There's angst here.
This is well worth your time. I was a little surprised that Road to Perdition was
Released in the bubblegum section of the summer. Films like this usually don't come out till fall.
Film Facts
Directed by Sam Mendes
Released in 2002
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewed by Mongo
