The Road to Perdition
Review
by : Kyle
DuVall
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Stanley
Tucci
Directed by: Sam Mendes
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Gangster
movies fascinate us not just because they give us a look into
a world most of us would never see and a chance to rub elbows
with all sorts of characters we wouldn't want to know in real
life, but also because the workings of the mob, or at least
the version of it we see in popular film, are bound in such
rich and quintessentially American conflicts that they are
inevitably about more than merely murder and larceny. The
mob in movies is always a consummately capitalist entity.
The attitude of the film gangster is that it's all "strictly
business". But, ironically, the shadowy nature of that "business"
is sustained by bonds that have nothing to do with money,
bonds like deeply abiding family loyalties, the ethnic ties
that both bind and factionalize the various mobs and an ever-shifting,
almost religious code of honor, hierarchy and ritual. On top
of this social relevance, the history of organized crime,
especially the gangsters of the prohibition era, have become
so mythologized that the form can serve as a vessel for more
universal, epic themes, themes that transcend the genre's
tales of hitmen and crime kingpins.
The Road to Perdition hits on all these thematic notes but
focuses on its universal themes, those of fatherhood and redemption.
As a film, its beautiful to watch, lovingly crafted with every
frame and as a narrative it is quintessential classic Hollywood
storytelling, where a tight, straightforward story is beautifully
used to carry a rich backdrop of smaller themes and multi-layered
conflicts.
Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, the chief enforcer of prohibition-era
gangster John Rooney (Paul Newman). Rooney is a lieutenant
in Al Capone's mob and not only is Sullivan Rooney's "go to
guy" when it comes to tying up loose ends with the 'ol Chicago
typewriter, Rooney has also served as a sort of surrogate
father to Sullivan, so the bond between the two men is firmly
rooted in respect, love and honor. When he's not making bloody
house calls for Rooney, Sullivan is a devoted, if stoic, father
of two children, Peter (Liam Aiken), and Michael jr.(Tyler
Hoechlin) and a loving husband to his wife Annie (Jennifer
Jason Leigh) One night, when Jr. gets too curious about just
what it is his dad does on his late night business calls for
Mr. Rooney, Jr. stows away under the seat of his dad's model
T and ends up witnessing pops and Rooney's shifty son Connor
(Daniel Craig) gunning down one of Rooney's associates and
a couple of his hired guns. Sullivan and Connor quickly find
out about their young witness, and Connor reluctantly takes
Sullivan's word that Michael Jr. will keep things quiet.
But what neither Michael or Michael Jr. realize is that Connor
is wrapped up in schemes of his own and the double crossing
son soon sets up Michael and uses Michael Jr.'s witness of
the murder as an excuse to liquidate Sullivan's family. Unfortunately
for Connor, Both Michael and Michael Jr. survive, and Michael
Sullivan becomes dead serious about setting his accounts straight
with Connor, even if it means the elder Rooney, a man Sullivan
loves and respects, has to go down to.
When the Capone Organization won't sanction Michael's vendetta,
he becomes a lone wolf out to protect his living son and avenge
his dead one. To save his boy and gain some sense of justice,
Sullivan will have to outsmart the Mob and elude a supremely
talented and psychotic photographer/hitman named Maguire (Jude
law). Sullivan is on a path that leaves little hope for a
happy ending, and the movie's figurative road to Perdition
seems to lead to a place where only Michael Jr. has a chance
to escape it all.
Hanks presence puts Sullivan in an interesting, very appropriate
context. The role is, on the surface, a departure for our
contemporary everyman, but oddly enough the character works
because it doesn't force Hanks to act against type. Hank's
Sullivan is a dedicated professional, not an intimidating
hatchetman. Sullivan's lethal presence is not articulated
by Sullivan himself but rather, in the ways people react to
him. Sullivan, as channeled through Hanks, isn't such an effective
enforcer because he loves the work he does, but because he
loves the people he works for and cares about them deeply.
Loyalty and integrity are aspects Hanks evokes merely by his
presence and It's these core motivations that let you believe
this quiet, otherwise decent fellow can kill without a thought.
This isn't Hanks trying to play a killer instead of the Tom
hanks "character", this is the Tom hanks' "character" as a
killer.
Hoechlin also does extremely well in a subtly written role
as Michael Jr. The film succinctly shows that Jr. has a definite
wild streak, but never overstates it by making Jr. a juvenile
delinquent. He's poised between the benign orneriness of youth,
sneaking smokes here, throwing dice there, and the darker
intimations of juvenile anger. Yet we also see Jr. clinging
on to the unclouded morality of childhood fantasy and naiveté.
These elements not only highlight the themes of redemption
and fatherhood intrinsic to the story, but they also flesh
out Michael Sr. as they reflect Michael Jr. You can tell the
father was much like the son at one time and the film shows
rather than tells that, if things go wrong, the son might
easily grow up to be like his father in both the good and
the bad ways.
Newman and Law both turn in admirable performances in their
supporting roles. Newman is the picture of charismatic patriarchy,
giving his scenes weight, but never trying to steal the show
and Law crafts unsettling quirks into his deranged hitman
that add a spark of larger-than-life characterization to a
film that flirts with American mythmaking. Stanley Tucci's
small role as Capone majordomo Frank Nitti is also well crafted.
Nitti's inclusion on-screen and Capone's exclusion intimates
and accentuates the off-screen presence of the greatest icon
of American gangsterism in the story, making Capone a distant
demi-god pulling strings and holding life and death in his
unseen dirty hands.
Conrad Hall's cinematography makes The Road To Perdition the
second movie of the summer that could justify its admission
price by photography alone (the other is Minority Report).
Road is filled with haunting moments of quiet beauty along
side dozens of full on "money shots" of instant iconic power.
Novice director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) does sometimes
get lost in the pretty pictures, especially in the film's
first half, where he often tends to linger on beautiful moments,
the tip of a cigarette, a solemn expression, a hare too long.
But there are much worse vices to indulge in when Conrad hall
is behind the camera, and the film's latter half shows more
focus, making these indulgences not just forgivable but forgettable.
The Road To Perdition is a movie that is tailor made for cross-comparison
with cinema's 80-plus year history of gangster films. In its
broadest themes it echoes The Godfather, in its post-modern,
semi-pastiche spirit it mirrors Miller's Crossing and in its
pure mythic flair lurks the ghosts of The Untouchables and
all the great gangster flicks of classic Hollywood. Road To
Perdition still carves out a place of its own, connecting
us to its characters and themes first and its place in the
genre second. It's also a film with some rich, well-articulated
spiritual conflicts at its core. Can the father be redeemed
by the son? Is a father just as obligated to protect the son
even when the son doesn't deserve to be protected? Its these
layers beyond the pretty pictures and masterful craftsmanship
that put Road To Perdition in its own, special place and makes
it more than just a mob picture enlivened by "stunt" casting
and the presence hollywood's latest "hot"director. The Road
to Perdition gives glimpses of the best of the past, present
and future of Hollywood storytelling, and its an admirable
view for any film lover.
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