1920s Boston-set mob thriller, director Sam Mendes’ follow up to his Oscar-winning American Beauty is a sombre affair, a storyline as cold as its wintery setting as mob-enforcer Tom Hanks finds himself on the run.
Having witnessed a killing, young Michael Sullivan Jnr places his family at risk. His father (Hanks), trusted general of the Irish mob headed by Paul Newman, is one of the two official assassins. Loose canon Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), Newman’s son, is the other. To save himself and Junior, Sullivan hits the road needing to avoid hired killer, Maguire (Jude Law).
Visually beautiful in its wintery darkness, Road to Perdition is almost faultless in its craft yet sadly lacks sufficient empathy and emotion to accompany its narrative. Eminently watchable, instantly forgettable.
Nominated for 6 Oscars in 2003 including best supporting actor (Paul Newman), art direction, soundtrack – won 1 for best cinematography
Rating: 66%
Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917)
Writer: David Self (Thirteen Days, The Wolfman) – based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins & Richard Piers Rayner
Main cast: Tom Hanks (Sully, Finch), Paul Newman (Hud, The Sting), Daniel Craig (Skyfall, Knives Out)
Cinematographer: Conrad L. Hall (American Beauty, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid)
An Opinion or Two 