Dir. Sam Mendes, 2002, USA , 117 mins
Cast: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Ciaran Hinds, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law There are several memorable scenes in Road to Perdition, but one moment left a particularly lasting impression on me. When Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) and his son Michael Jr (Tyler Hoechlin) are fleeing their home after discovering that the rest of their family has been murdered, Conrad Hall's camera lingers on the boy's snow-covered bicycle abandoned in the garden. There's an uncanny resemblance to a shot of Charles Kane's childhood sled in Citizen Kane. Both images represent a loss of youthful innocence that is an underlying theme in both films, but the connection may go even further than that.
With his award-winning American Beauty, Sam Mendes came closer than possibly any other director to matching Welles for the greatest directorial debut in cinema history. Now, with this acclaimed new film as his second feature, Mendes lives up to the subsequent expectation in a manner that few first-timers have achieved since Wells followed up Kane with The Magnificent Ambersons. As was the case in American Beauty, Mendes' direction still betrays his background on the London stage.
There are shots in Road to Perdition that are a little too perfectly framed, and scenes that are a bit too well staged. It's almost as if he needs to remind the audience that there is a director at work here. But while this tendency was mildly distracting in Beauty, it's less so here because Mendes' artistry and technique help to elevate what is a simple, even familiar, tale. In lesser hands, there is little doubt that Perdition would be a pleasant but unremarkable picture. Mendes almost makes you believe you're watching a classic. Almost, but not quite.
Hanks' Sullivan works as a hitman for John Rooney (Paul Newman), a ruthless crime boss who took the fatherless Sullivan under his wing as a young boy. But when Sullivan Jr witnesses the nature of his own father's work, both of their lives are in jeopardy. Sullivan Snr has to make a choice between his love for Rooney and the loyalty he feels towards him, and the similar feelings he feels towards his son. The path towards the story's resolution is predictable, but compelling none the less.
The success of Road to Perdition is not just due to Mendes' skill behind the camera, but to his excellent cast as well. Hanks surprised me with how convincingly he plays Sullivan, a relatively dark character for him. He doesn't quite reach all the emotional high points, but his character is always believable. His scenes with Hoechlin (who's impressive, although I felt his characterisation was perhaps a little too adult-like for a 12 year old) are moving as the father establishes a bond with his son that he never had before.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law (whose portrayal kept reminding me of Malcolm McDowell's Alex in A Clockwork Orange) are rather wasted as, respectively, Hanks' wife and the hitman sent to kill him, but Daniel Craig offers a fine performance as Rooney's impulsive son, Connor.
However, the real gem in this cast is a man easily old enough to be Hanks' father in real life. Paul Newman gives a magnificent performance, combining avuncular warmth and menacing authority with consummate ease. In a key scene where Rooney loses his temper with Connor, Newman's barely-controlled fury is a stunning piece of acting. Hall's evocative cinematography is more than worthy of its Oscar win, and Jill Bilcock's editing is seamless, both highlighted in a magnificent shootout sequence that Mendes films to the accompaniment of nothing but pouring rain. The period recreation, especially of 1930s Chicago, is meticulous and from a technical point of view, Road to Perdition is well nigh flawless.
If Road to Perdition had more substance to its story, it would have claim to be a truly great film. While American Beauty offered an insightful commentary on contemporary suburban life, Road To Perdition doesn't have anything new to say about its chosen themes. There's no doubt that this film represents great filmmaking. But it's not quite a great film.
Justin Whitton
|
