Road To Perdition Review

Will Perdue once said that it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken, and if that's true, then Michael Sullivan probably makes the most tender chicken in 1930s Chicago. He's the cold-blooded hit man at the centre of Road to Perdition, the upcoming crime flick starring Tom Hanks that started life as a graphic novel by Collins and Rayner.

Michael Sullivan Jr. (Hoechlin) is a 12-year-old kid who lives at home with his mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh), little brother and mysterious and quiet dad (Hanks). The only thing young Michael and his little brother Peter really know about their father is that he puts food on their table and is employed by town hero, but also crime boss, John Rooney (Paul Newman). When the boy follows his dad and Newman's screwed-up son Connor (Daniel Craig) to a warehouse, he learns more than he wanted to. Young Michael's potential for indiscretion leads to some grim events, which eventually force the father and son on the road to safety, revenge, discovery and redemption. Jude Law plays a quirky assassin, sent after the pair.

But the movie's more than just a crime drama. It raises questions about destiny and decisions. It has outbursts of humor that are as startling as the blood and gunshots. And the film makes such effective use of silence that it is a wonder the characters ever speak. Sam Mendes, best known for directing American Beauty, gives us another unusual yet introspective look into the good in evil.

Road To Perdition has a strong narrative and solid dialogue, and, of course, the acting is first rate. Once again, Hanks delivers a master-level class in movie acting, creating a complex, compelling portrait of a tortured man awakened to the bloody karmic consequences of his violent occupation. Hanks does a superb job portraying a hit man, who is undoubtedly evil except through the eyes of his 12-year-old son. Neither overt hero nor villain, deftly painted in subtle shades of gray, Sullivan is a new stretch for this wonderfully talented actor.

Few actors can rise to the challenge of wielding psychological command over Hanks, but Newman is perfectly cast as the powerful Rooney, another double-sided coin alternately oozing grandfatherly charm and deadly menace. It is a veritable delight to watch these two cinematic heavyweights share scenes, even when they involve nothing more extravagant than exchanging portentous looks. The weaker links in this cast of fathers and sons are the sons themselves, and that is a minor disappointment.

If there is a serious problem with the film, it is the feeling of inevitability. Every action by every character seems as if it were written in stone long before it happened. This inevitability makes the film a little predictable. But that does nothing to take the sheen off what is otherwise a beautiful film.