Rating: 
Summary: Moving and Effective!
Review: Tom Hanks plays a mob enforcer for Paul Newman's mob boss character in 1930's Illinios. Hanks is both a family man and a killer, but when his son accidentally witnesses a murder Hanks must flee with the boy.... well, to say anything else would be to spoil the film.
Hanks character develops slowly and quietly. He is a man of few words, and Hanks gives real depth to what could otherwise have been a flat personality. Indeed, I have one small complaint that perhaps Hanks gave the man too much depth... except for his love for his family he isn't a great guy, and I didn't feel that he ever really made a moral connection between his chosen life and its consequences. He loves his family and saves his son, and via this we see the man has a real soul despite being a killer. At a few occasions Hanks just seemed too nice for the part!
Newman is quite effective as the mob boss, and his dialog has the real moral lesson of the film. In some ways, despite never reforming Newman is more aware of the consequences and costs of the mob life than Hank's character ever seems to be, and he gives his character real depth. Jude Law is great as an exceptionally creepy supporting character!As for the dvd, video quality was quite good. The film is dark at times but colors and contrast never really suffer. I was really surprised by the Dolby 5.0 soundtrack. I have a full home theater system and this disk's audio really shone. The occasional gun fight made full use of the rears and shots seemed to shoot around the room. Like I said, this film isn't really a thriller but the audio was really there when the film needed it. Overall, I would recommend this disk to anybody who loves Hanks or Newman. Both were great, and the film was slow but well done. By slow, I don't mean boring; I mean the film slowly but steadily develops its characters, for some real payoff. Definitely worth watching!
Rating: 
Summary: What more could you expect?
Review: Given that this is a Tom Hanks movie, you know from the start that it will be an exceptional movie. And it lived up to that expectation. A very serious movie that you can laugh during some scenes with one of the best actors out there plus an excellent storyline equals a classic. One of the biggest surprise endings of any movie and it's amazing to think that this is the same actor who played a slow southern boy from Alabama, a man in love with a mermaid, a BIG little boy, and a man stranded on a deserted island can once again completely change the view of the audience as he is a new kind of character in this movie. Tom Hanks is an incredible actor and once again his skill is portrayed. You won't regret buying this movie to watch again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant modern crime movie
Review: This movie's grand scope and sweeping visuals can only be complemented by two of the best actors ever, Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, who are at the top of their game in this movie. The story of this movie is very original, especially for a crime movie. Highly reccomended.
Rating: 
Summary: slick looking but shallow
Review: For all the hype this film received you'd think it would have something new to offer... Instead I'm left with the impression that you put a couple good actors in a movie, make it look pretty, and all the critics go ooh and ahh! It has its moments, but ultimately it's a pretty hollow film. Take the scene where they hold up with the farmers ... it's just too Hollywood-convenient that these farmers are just so willing to allow a [wounded] man to stay with them (and they think Michael is just so hardworking), and think nothing of accepting a bag full of money, as if it were sent by Jesus. Jude Law is great, but is way under used. Everything about this movie is too shallow and too glossy. I wasn't impressed. The actors make the most of what they have to work with, but the script is poorly constructed and the directing is mediocre and is buttressed too much by it's slick cinematrogaphy.
Rating:
Summary: Tom Hanks at his best
Review: I find Tom Hanks to be one of the most creative actors currently working today .No matter what he does , he seems able to adapt to that part and become that person . He has never been better than in this film . The story is one that pulls mixed emotions out of you and the supporting actors are excellent ,including Paul Newman as a rather despicable character . I also like to see period films such as this one . I am always amazed at how totally they can duplicate a different era so well . It was facinating , kept you on the edge of your seat , made you laugh at times and made you feel great sadness . Buy it , you wont be disappointed .
Rating:
Summary: Not wondrous or inspiring, but really really good
Review: I mean it's no masterpiece, but it's a really good movie. Tom Hanks has been better many times, and is quite frankly miscast as a big old tough guy. Jennifer Jason Leigh, well, she's my favorite actress (Unite ladies!), but it's unusual that she doesn't have a few more scenes. I keep forgetting my favorite actress is in this movie. Jude Law and Paul Newman literally walk away with this movie. I'm not sure why Jude wasn't nominated alongside Newman, after all he was nominated for Mr. Ripley a few years ago. But Newman dominates this movie with his gruff old-timer persona. What a legend, and a real rare gentleman from what I'm told. This is an Oscar winning film, as the stunning cinematography was recognized. And rightly so, because this is a beaut. For weird reasons, the sound was nominated which is kind of silly because the movie is so quiet I found myself lulled to sleep in some of the boring spots (trust me, there are a few). I hate special features on dvds, so I was glad to see that there are not many included on this release. They are just a waste of time and I never view them. Why would I want to hear somebody talk while I watch the movie? Commentary tracks are annoying, and that's not just my opinion. I put this one on for about 3 minutes, just to hear how pretentious Sam Mendes British accent is. And it certainly is. If you really want to watch this movie in style, get some Newman's Own snacks like his awesome Orange chocolate chip cookies, which I understand he personally supervises. This movie is not ever going to be looked at as a classic of the gangster genre, and the violence is unfortunately subdued. Ever since Goodfellas gave us such in-your-face bloodiness, it has become a contest to see who can really top the gore quotient. Well, this one falls far short and will likely leave hard-core gangster film fans very dissapointed. But the music is almost enough to make up for it, and was deservedly nominated for an Oscar (AKA Academy Award). A fool will buy this, but a real smart person will rent it, maybe more than once over time.
Rating:
Summary: UNIQUE GANGSTER MOVIE
Review: Unless you had heard about it ahead of time, there are no clues in the opening scene of THE ROAD TO PERDITION that it is about Depression era Irish American gangsters. Ambiguities and uncertainties haunt the story, presented from the point of view of the street wise twelve-year-old, Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). Centering the story on Michael Jr. has us learning ugly truths about his father at the same time as the boy does. In this way, screenwriter David Self ( who adapted the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner) captures the moral ambiguity at the heart of this tale. Skillfully directed by Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY), he presents us with a brooding gangster drama about fathers and sons. From the background music and overhead shots to the nearly bullet-stopping, slow motion, silent sequences of the most violent machine gun scenes, Mendes' imprint takes us back to a similar style that carried Kevin Spacey through AMERICAN BEAUTY. Michael Sr. (Tom Hanks) is a mysterious figure who drifts in and out of his home at odd hours. He spends lots of time tinkering in the garage of their comfortable, middle class Rock Island, Illinois home. That's where he keeps the main tool of his trade -- a Thompson submachine gun. The opening scene of a wake at a very rich man's house, introduces us to John Rooney (Paul Newman), the charismatic but ruthless crime boss. Michael Sullivan, Sr. is the chief enforcer for the notorious Rooney crime family. As a boy, Michael had been practically adopted by Rooney and reared alongside his own son, Connor (Daniel Craig). Mendes finds understated ways of suggesting the depths of relationships that are breathtaking. There's a moment early on when Sullivan and Rooney share a four-handed tune at the piano. Without a word of dialogue, the scene silently speaks volumes on how they feel about one another. As their characters develop, Michael Sr. comes across as Rooney's competent, pragmatic and uncompromisingly loyal hit man. But his surrogate brother, Connor is a volatile screw up. Sibling rivalry between Mike and Connor sets the stage for a Hamlet-like tragedy that swirls around Rooney. Inevitably, violent ends must befall them all. Michael Sullivan Jr. becomes curious about what his father does and so he decides to secretly follow him around for getting to know him. This triggers events that during the next six weeks will fill Michael's young life with a series of traumas, confronting him with his father's trade, all bound up with the meaning of their relationship. Most directors might have sentimentalized the older and younger Sullivan as they finally bond. But Mendes makes us draw our own conclusions. Throughout most of the movie, Hanks' hit man remains remote and pretty much of a mystery to his boy and to us. He's never been much of a father, and he's certainly not transformed overnight into a doting dad. After all, his specialty is killing people. Although understated from beginning to end, this movie's title itself forewarns of eternal damnation. THE ROAD TO PERDITION asks whether the intense love Sullivan and Rooney feel toward their respective sons can possibly transcend the evil that they perpetrate. Having abandoned their souls, the inevitability of damnation is preordained for the gangsters. The setting is appropriately a Midwestern winter which has rarely looked so cold, wet and miserable. Anticipating when and how the gangsters' imminent descent into hell will take place is riveting. As the killers leave a trail of carnage along Illinois roads, the movie's metaphoric title becomes literal. The story is very dark and unpredictable, and the cast of exceptionally talented actors coupled with stunningly authentic 1930s sets and creative cinematography all make this gangster movie unique.
Rating:
Summary: Great performance of Tom Hanks
Review: Very good performance from Tom Hanks, excellent shooting.Lot of action.
Rating:
Summary: Good Performances. Looks beautiful. But ultimately...
Review: There was much hype and oompah prior to The Road to Perdition being released. It doesn't live up to it. But that doesn't mean it's a bad film. First, the good points. The performances are, by and large, excellent. Hanks turns in a good performance, certainly didn't phone it in. Paul Newman is excellent and the transition from hearty gang boss to broken old man as the film progresses works well. The kid who plays Hanks' son is no Haley Joel Osment (Is that fact all bad? Perhaps not.) but then he's certainly no Macauley Culkin either and manages to refrain from being a mawkish irritant, which is good enough for me. Jude Law is excellent (damn his good looks and his talent and his fashionable wife) and the part where he is fiddling with his camera in the diner in a truly model bit of business. And it's got Stanley Tucci in it - bonus. It looks good. It looks really, really good. It was cinematographer Conrad Hall's last film and I have to say, there are worse things to go out on. It's got noir looks. The snow. The rain. The Shadows. The lighting effects. The architecture. The period interiors. It's all good. That said, it's not GRITTY. It's dark, but it's not gritty. The Godfather was gritty. Goodfellas was gritty. This isn't gritty. But then I'm not sure it's meant to be a genre mobster film so I don't know if it's fair to hold that against it. OK, so what's wrong with it? Well beneath the good looks and the performances, it's not actually a particularly good film. The script doesn't sparkle much, though it has it's moments. To be honest, the storyline is pure Hollywood cheese. It's just that you spend so much time looking at the sets and the performances that you only realise the fact intermittantly. The actors probably give the script more than it deserves to be honest. The symbolism can get a bit much too, especially towards the end. It builds the atmosphere, in fairness, but ultimately, it's pretty hollow. I wouldn't say people shouldn't give it a go. You might be bored rigid, you might thoroughly enjoy it. Not sure I'd buy it without having seen it first, though. Basically, it's a very average film, lifted by the heroic efforts of the cast and director.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect movie.
Review: Summary:
Michael Sullivan, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) has a hitman for a father, Michael Sullivan Senior (Tom Hanks), but doesn't know it. When Michael Jr. follows his dad to a job to find out what it is his dad does, he is caught by his dad and his dad's boss's son, Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig (I)), who is the heir to John Rooney's (Paul Newman) fortune. To cover his tracks, and perhaps out of jealousy, Connor tries to get Michael Senior killed while he kills the rest of the family, including Michael Jr. But Michael senior catches on to the plot and gets away while Michael Jr. doesn't happen to be home when Connor makes his hit, killing instead Michael senior's wife and other son Peter. Michael Senior is smart enough to know that he has to skip town, but he also has to avenge his wife's death by killing Connor. So, the two Sullivan's leave but another hitman, Maguire (Jude Law), is sent to kill them. Michael Senior tries to bait the Chicago mob bosses to give up Connor Rooney by stealing their money but it doesn't work. Eventually he realizes that the only way to kill Connor is to kill Connor's dad, John, so the Chicago mob bosses will stop protecting Connor. Michael Senior avenges the murders and gets away only to end up with Maguire still hunting him. My Comments:
This is a remarkable movie. The acting is superb. The music is impeccable. The cinematography is stunning. It is just an all around wonderful movie. There is one scene in particular that was just so well done that I'm still amazed. It is when Michael Senior kills John Rooney. John and his henchman are crossing the street in a torrential downpour when Michael opens fire. Instead of hearing both the rain, the gun shots, and the sounds of dying men, all we hear is music as Michael, in slow motion, kills five or six of John Rooney's henchman. It isn't until John is the only one left standing that the actual sound comes back up and then, when Michael finally kills John, we hear everything. I was thoroughly impressed with the story. It seemed completely logical and plausible and worked very well. The movie was tasteful enough not to show gratuitous violence. Sure, the movie is violent, but there is really no reason to show a lot of it, leaving most of the violence to the audience's imagination. The focus is the story. And, the setup to the story is superb. Michael Jr. is telling the story in retrospect, and discussing whether or not his father, who was a hitman for the mob, was a good man or not. In the end, Michael Jr. doesn't say whether or not his dad was a good man, that is left up to the viewer to decide, but he does claim him as his dad, which says plenty. Overall, I loved this movie. If you don't particularly care for violence or are not interested in the mafia, then you may not like this movie as much as I did. But, you'll probably still be entranced by a very compelling and touching story. A definite must see.
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