Rating: 
Summary: Road to Perdition
Review: I've read several negative reviews at this posting site and I find them hard to swallow. This film is good. It's not slow or perdictable in my view. IT may not rank up there with Casablanca, but it has plenty to offer. The book that it's based on has a different ending and several other differences from the film.I read the book first, and parts of the book I think are better. Having said that,the film did not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Rotten to its core.
Review: This is the worst movie I have seen for some time. The values underlying every aspect of its production are appalling. It stands as an indictment against the entire Hollywood system.
*
Yet again the alleged 'code' of criminals is made to do moral work. Are we meant to be impressed, or jealous, that the Mafia and their Irish equivalents have 'rules' to live by? What if these rules are both brutal and stupid? Not even by analogy are Mafia/Irish gangs institutions worthy of admiration, less still of imitation. In 'Road to Perdition' such values as loyalty and devotion to one's family are debased through their association, indeed their embodiment, in these criminal circles. Being a hired thug and murderer, as is Tom Hanks' Michael Sullivan, is depicted as being, in many respects, a job like any other. This is a crude and improper place to start a film, and things only decline from here.
*
Vengeance and self-preservation are the prime motivations for the Sullivan character's actions. Any 'complexity' is in the form of him reconciling his gratitude to Paul Newman's John Rooney, a surrogate father, with the fact that Rooney now wants to kill him. The morality here is not complex, but simple-minded.
*
If you have any doubt as to what you should be feeling at any particular moment in this film, don't worry, the didactic director will be only too willing to help. The intrusive and bombastic score is laughable. Swelling with predictable regularity, the score seeks to manipulate your emotions at every turn. The orchestration itself veers towards the bizarre, with entirely superfluous panoramas of 1930's Mid-Western America being accompanied by a mix of New Age ambient doodlings and Latin American woodwinds. The lighting is uniformly low, and the colour palette, as seems to be the fashion in Hollywood nowadays, is limited to blues and browns - indeed, the director appears to be in love with his art director, as he lingers lovingly on period details in the set, providing a handsome backdrop for what is ultimately a bloodthirsty and mindless spree of killing. Murder never looked so good. But I exaggerate - murder often looks great when Hollywood is concerned.
*
The story comes from a comic book. Literally. The comic book was written by Max Allan Collins. That the characters are then two-dimensional should hardly be a surprise. Tom Hank's character does not develop at all. He begins the film as a killer with a streak of loyalty towards his family and protector, and he ends the film unchanged. No other character fares better - Paul Newman shows all the depth that won him an Oscar in 'The Color of Money'. Jude Law impersonates Charlie Chaplin, and substitutes quirks for depth of characterisation. And the child actors implausibly remain as unmoved witnesses to the entire squalid tragedy.
*
The formulaic injection of 'humour' for 'comic relief' is clumsily done and occurs in very inappropriate circumstances - thus the director follows gory scenes of cold-blooded murder with the alleged humour of a twelve year old awkwardly learning to drive. Truly pathetic. Cliched symbols of homeliness and security duly appear in the form of a delapidated homestead replete with kind aged couple, and a shanty by the sea with obligatory friendly dog.
*
A further disgusting element in all of this is the use of the twelve year old child as the narrator. In the hackneyed Hollywood tradition the child is sacred and, in some important way, innocent - this, again simple-minded, tradition is here twisted, so that the child's idolatry of his father blends uncomfortably with idolatry of guns, vengeance, and viciousness. The messages here are disturbingly close to some of those propagated by the Nazi party, and need to be condemned outright. There is an attempt to undercut this through a 'hopeful' ending, but this could hardly be any weaker - the entire body of this over-long film is an aesthetically beautiful tale of bloodshed and blood-bonds. To see a twelve year old smiling, leaning out a car window as the wind rushes through his hair, glad to be with his father, immediately after his father has shot and killed a dozen men, is morally abhorrent, if you stop to think about it, but of course the last thing Hollywood encourages you to do is to stop and think.
*
Tom Hanks' and Paul Newman's proven abilities to deliver wooden performances serve them well here. If life is like a box of chocolates, Tom seems to have a nose for the sickly-sweet and purulent centres. Sam Mendes rises to join the likes of Steven Speilberg, with this over-wrought and misguidedly self-important effort. And Tom Newman, responsible for the score of the nauseating 'Shawshank Redemption', pushes the envelope still further - this is not so much music as an aural emetic.
*
All in all a terrible showcase for all that is wrong with American film-making.
Rating: 
Summary: Best movie of the summer
Review: and possibly one of the best movies of all time. Very good directing, and the acting is superb. Tom Hanks does an excellent job, but is outdone by Jude Law who is by far one of the best actors out there. The acting and directing makes you feel as if you are really back in the 1930's in the Great Depression. The plot is excellent and perfectly drawn out from the opening scene to the last. Each character is developed perfectly and you can see the type of person the character is right from the beginning. At and overall, Road to Perdition is a powerful movie about father-son relationships and perfectly displays the development of one. Road to Perdition is a cant miss.
Rating:
Summary: In my humble opinion . . .
Review: . . . Road to Perdition is Tom Hanks's best work to date. Yes, I do rate his perfomance in Perdition over Forrest Gump. The movie is straight-out excellent, it was very well cast, and the music is beautiful. All I can really say is that if Road to Perdition doesn't at least get nominated for the Best Picture and Best Actor (Hanks) Oscars, I'll be very upset.
Rating:
Summary: Hanks does a great job,
Review: I just wish he would keep up the good acting and stop using his
Hollywood notoriety to promote political bs. The movie was excellent but there was a BIG flaw in the mechanics of the hotel shooting (of his unnatural brother).He fired three shots from
a 45 auto pistol but not one of the shots RECOCKED the pistol--
very sloppy for Hollywood!
Rating:
Summary: A road well worth taking.
Review: Road to Perdition is an elegant and restrained drama about the bond between fathers and sons. Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a well known hit man, working for John Rooney (Paul Newman) in Depression-era Chicago. Sullivan is also devoted to his private life as a husband and father of two young boys. When his two worlds collide, resulting in tragedy, Sullivan and his older son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), leave their home and embark on a journey of revenge and discovery. David Self's script is simple, subtle, and straightforward. It presents some interesting issues concerning redemption, fathers, sons, and violence. Despite the script being occasionally predictable, Sam Mendes's superb direction allows for quite a bit of tension. The performances in Perdition are fantastic, particularly Hanks and Newman. Hanks's performance is one of his finest, to date. He's reserved, brooding, and conflicted. His performance ranks alongside the great Al Pacino performances. Like Pacino, Hanks is able to show a great deal of emotion through total silence. Newman effectively creates a portrait of a man who is both imposing and pathetic. Jude Law leaves quite an impression, for having such little screentime, as Hanks and his son's pursuer. Apart from great performances, Perdition boasts stunning set & costume designs, a grand musical score, and deliberate; appropriate pacing. It's also beautifully photographed. The film has a very cold, muted palette which reflects the characters and the time period. Some have compared Road to Perdition to The Godfather. It is not The Godfather; it lacks the broad canvas and spontaneity of that mafia classic. Never-the-less, you aren't likely to find a better film this year.
Rating: 
Summary: An utterly predictable and ordinary mafia tale
Review: Although this movies does have beautiful cinematic images, the acting is less than motivating and Tom Hanks, the over-rated academy award dominater, does little to reach the audience. Also, Hanks just does not fit the profile of being a mafia gangster. He was much better in any of his other movies! Throughout the movie one can easily predict exacly what will happen. I heard one editorial say that this is the next great mafia movie since Goodfellas. No way is this in the slightest bit true! Goodfellas beat the hell out of this movie! However, if you don't specically care to see a great movie and you just want to kick back and see some great cinematic images then this movie might suite your desire. Overall it may be worth your time; however, this is no Oscar winner!
Rating:
Summary: SHOOT THE DEAD
Review: THEY CALL HIM THE ANGEL OF DEATH. His real name is Micheal Sullivan-a hit man bound to the criminal underworld of the 1930s. Hes also a man that who knows that good things vanish in the dark-a lesson learned one rainy night when his wife and youngest son are killed. Now Mike Sullivan and his only surviving son are on a trip to Chicago-on a journey filled with revenge and self-discovery. I think this movie was really well done-its my new favorite movie! Its kind of different to see Hanks as a villian-but he played the part good! Jude Law was good as the creepy photographer who usually is snapping away at his victims. Everyone did great in this movie-I hope it wins at the oscars-
because this film is oscar worthy! I would reccomend this movie to anyone who is interested in crime pictures and likes Hanks.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting role for Hanks!
Review: Very nice change of pace for a large-scale actor! Instead of the popular, Hollywood-made-for-money movie with the cliche of popular classic rock tunes added in, this movie is none of those! Hanks appears as a Chicagoland gangster at odds against his boss and Capone associate Paul Newman. This role was refreshing because it was not like Tom Hanks to play and the seriousness, morbid side of the underworld came through in this gangster-era setting. Hanks' family is being destroyed by Newman's mob figures and Hanks takes to the road with his son in order to survive. The story is rather basic though the survivalist concept and quiet gangster role of Tom Hanks was a nice change of pace. This movie is probably not for the popular audiences that are expecting a Forest Gump, Big, or Castaway. That is probably why some don't like this movie as it is so off character from a typical Tom Hanks movie. I found it very enjoyable! You have to like the gangster-type of movie to appreciate this one.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, powerful, deep, Oscar worthy!
Review: I can't say enough of how incredible this movie really is. It's absolute a riveting tale of what it truly was like for the criminal underworld. Many movies seem to glorify 1930s gangsters but Road To Perdition shows a much more real life point of view of how deadly life in the 1930s criminal underworld really was. WARNING: This movie is not for the faint at heart or the shallow-minded! The cover art of the movie trailer sets the overall mood of RTP: Dark, bleak and dramatic. The story is of a criminal gang leader whose organization is being torn apart because of his son Connor Rooney going on shooting sprees for no particular reason. The main charachter Mike Sullivan, played by the talented Tom Hanks, is a hitman who works for the elder Rooney(played by Paul Newman) who has to hunt down Connor after his wife & one of his sons is murdered. Sullivan Sr. also has to protect his older son and now only surviving child, Michael Sullivan Jr. and prevent him from living a life like his father is. Another villain, played by Jude Law, is a murderer who photographs his victims as they die and rejoices at the scene. Sullivan Sr & Sullivan Jr. drive around the country robbing banks while escaping the hitman played by Jude Law. The conflicts in the movie truly bring out alot of emotions and create lots of suspense and emotions. The ending is very moving and will bring you to tears. By far one of the best movies and it truly deserves getting at lease on Oscar Award.
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