Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageRoad to Perdition (2002)
Director: Sam Mendes
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and there are too many here for a film which fancies itself hard-boiled. Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is right-hand man to Mr Rooney (Newman), and Rooney is the nearest thing to a God young Mike Jr (Hoechlin) has ever seen. But when he spies on his pop at work, he's in for a shock. Sullivan is an enforcer, a hitman for the Mob. Worse, Jr gives himself away - which makes him a witness, a danger not only to his father, but to Dad's ruthless partner in crime Connor Rooney (Craig). Anyone with a fondness for gangsters will find quite a bit to admire, even to savour, in Mendes' second movie. Shot with the same sense of occasion cinematographer Conrad Hall brought to American Beauty, it is never less than handsomely upholstered, the sort of picture which virtually demands a gilt frame. Based on a graphic novel by Max Allan Collins, the terminally self-conscious Perdition sorely lacks mischief - save for a scene stealing performance from Jude Law, wonderful as a whacked Weegee-style photographer. He alone realises the material remains fundamentally comic strip, a two-dimensional child's eye pastiche of classic gangster movies. Ploughing a furrowed brow, Hanks is fatally miscast - except that the story turns so sentimental and bathetic, he's actually in his element.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Sam Mendes
Producer: Richard D Zanuck, Dean Zanuck, Sam Mendes
Cast: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci, Daniel Craig, Tyler Hoechlin, Liam Aiken, Dylan Baker, CiarĂ¡n Hinds full cast
Genre(s): Gangsters
Duration: 117 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has Michael Mann lost it?
Adam Lee Davies mourns the passing of a major Hollywood talent as Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' sees the great director running on empty
Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults
Tom Huddleston takes a look at a selection of films which bring adult problems to a pre-teen audience
Is this Summer 2009's best film?
The French filmmaker Claire Denis speaks to Dave Calhoun about her new film, '35 Shots of Rum', a tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship in Paris
The Informant: trailer preview
Steven Soderbergh is at it again, this time with a screwball corporate caper starring Matt Damon called 'The Informant'. View the trailer here...
Rudo y Cursi: interview
Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna talk to Time Out about their highly entertaining new comedy, 'Rudo y Cursi'
An open letter to Peter Morgan
Tom Huddleston penned an open letter to Peter Morgan offering some friendly dos and don'ts for the new Bond movie
Outdoor film screenings in London 2009
Derek Adams offers a guide to the best places to see films outside in London this summer
50 essential sci-fi films
With 'Star Trek' making serious waves, we thought it would be a perfect time to select 50 must-see sci-fi films
What do you think?
Post your review now