Road to Perdition (2002) Review: - 9.5

Road to Perdition - 9.5

High class drama film, Road to Perdition, pulls out the best in performance, imagery, direction and emotion. Sam Mendes is the brains behind the production and after such success with American Beauty (1999) Road to Perdition had great expectations. Mendes is not the only big name with Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig and Jude Law all playing key roles in the storyline. Themes of the film revolve around crime and "the hitman", with a strong backbone of family values supporting the structure.
Set in the 1930's, the story follows Michael Sullivan (Hanks) who is a loyal hitman for Mr. John Rooney (Newman). Events then spiral into play when Sullivan's son, Michael Junior, witnesses what his father does for a living, causing a domino effect of trust around Michael's family and boss. Straight from the start an intense and gritty narrative unfolds as Michael looks to keep his family out of danger and do what is best for them.

Sam Mendes's work in American Beauty was captivating for audiences and his use of image in relation to emotion is a distinguishable style that defines him as a director. Road to Perdition similarly embeds ideas of the emotional response and captures it with great finesse. Due to the minimal script, the film builds it foundation on performance to help captivate a response. The idea that actions speak louder than words is clearly the case in this all round thrilling drama. Sullivan (Hanks) often displays a lack of emotion due to his characters unattached style that his job requires him to have. Due to this the film explodes into raw emotion and is often present when least expected, making it all the more poignant.  Sullivan's emotion, when displayed, propels the storyline in to a pacey drama and Mendes's has captured the ideas of emotion to drive both narrative and characters into a high speed action.

An element within the film that really caught the attention and has the power to move audiences is the use of music and sound. Music can play with thoughts and feelings and create a certain mood for how someone is supposed to be feeling. The Road to Perdition runs with this idea in its hand, helping expand the story with emotion. The delicacy of the music helps with imagery and offers connotations of a variation of themes. Sounds and melodies combined with outstanding camera work, constructing a moving experience that is worthy of being associated with artistic qualities. Sam Mendes has perfected this style and makes the most out of uniting various elements of  films mise en scene to create an outstanding spectacle.

Road to Perdition incorporates everything you would want in a film, allowing it to be nothing short of magnificent  It boasts a brilliant director, with outstanding, technical film capabilities; heart-retching emotion sided by fearsome action. Not to mention a vast array of stars whose performances are amongst their finest  This 1930’s style gangster film is a must see. The time period is visually charming, the narrative is addictive as well as the characters memorable. There is something for everyone with this film. Whether it be shooting to impress with its action or hitting you hard with emotion, or maybe even just being as simple as seeing Daniel Craig in the bath, Road to Perdition can offer all of this and much, much more.