Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable, soon-to-be classic
Review: This is one of the most amazing films ever made--and, no, I'm not saying this to support the hype over this movie. This movie--based on, believe it or not, a comic book--tells a classic story about Michael Sullivan, a father who works as a hit-man in a small-town mob and whose son is put in grave danger when he witnesses his father on the job. Both of their lives are put in peril when Sullivan's surrogate father, John Rooney, orders for them to be tracked down and murdered.
The acting is brilliant with Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, Jude Law as Maguire--the photographer who "shoots the dead", and Paul Newman as John Rooney. Tyler Hoechlin, who plays Michael Sullivan, Jr. has a terrific acting ability and I hope he gets to share his talents more in the future. The cinematography is excellent, giving the movie an overall feeling of suspense and action.
This is an excellent movie that, even if you're not a fan of Godfather-related films, many people will still love this epic film, which, without a doubt, will one day be considered a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: wrong role
Review: Mr.Hanks seems as if he can only play pathetic oversensitive characters anymore.The story was great but using Hanks for this gangster role was somewhat akin to having Henry Fonda or Alan Alda play 'Scarface'.
Rating:
Summary: Tom Hanks, Jude Law, Paul Newman--How could it be bad?
Review: I really enjoyed this film. I enjoyed the father son relationship, tom and his son. And Mr Newman was great. But the thing that got me was the look of the film. It really felt like the 1920's. It the feel of the old noir films, but in color. It's dimly lit as it really was in those days, well acted, and a good story.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasure to watch
Review: This is one of the best movies of 2002. Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is an enforcer in a 1930's Irish mob, led by kingpin, John Rooney (Paul Newman). Things are somber yet smooth until Sullivan's son witnesses a hit. The status quo is destroyed. No one is really comfortable with Sullivan's son being alive to tell the tale, yet Sullivan is like a son to his boss, John Rooney. Thus the conflict and the engine that drives the movie forward. This is really a beautifully done movie in about every respect. The first striking thing is Tom Hanks cast as an Irish hit man. There is something about Tom Hanks that is mesmerizing on the screen, something extremely watchable. After enjoying him in different roles, like in Saving Private Ryan and Castaway and particularly this role, the best way to describe this quality is there is a depth of thought present in Hanks at all times, combined with a complete natural quality in front of the camera. It is a great piece of casting, setting Hanks against type as a man of violence, and it works in spades. Paul Newman has the role of a lifetime as John Rooney, "son of the old sod" and gang leader. Newman brought just the right blend of authority, power, and Irish melancholy to the role. The relationship between Sullivan and Rooney seems so believable, so understated and sincere, it is one of the most moving things about the movie. This film is about fathers and sons, and there are three father/son relationships at stake here: Sullivan and his son, Rooney and his son (played with crazed zeal by Daniel Craig), and finally the relationship between the boss and his prime enforcer. In character parts, Stanley Tucci brings his usual dignity to the mix as Frank Nitti, and Jude Law is creepy and nearly unrecognizable as Maguire, the contract killer sent to deal with Sullivan and son. The other striking thing for me was the interesting and unique way the film dealt with violence. Nearly all the violence was off screen or just out of shot. The blood squirting plasma-sacs were at a minimum in this movie, and the scenes were so much more powerful for it. It particular, the Tommy Gun scene, where Hanks uses this weapon from the shadows (those that have seen the film will know which scene I mean) was shot with no sound except the musical soundtrack. Hank's gun just produces a strobe of silent flashes from the darkness. I believe this scene just as innovative as any of Sam Peckinpaw's "ballet of death" scenes from the late 60's and 70's. A great film with a gripping, well-rounded story. Clean and perfect all the way.
Rating: 
Summary: good and yet
Review: The visuals are beautiful, the acting is wonderful, the music and sound are stunning, and yet I feel like it did not live up to it's full potential. Tom Hanks is better than he demonstrated in this film, and the script seemed to suffer from a lack of interesting dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Krayzie
Review: It was a really great movie and if you haven't seen it go rent it, but there's one problem with it....you don't really buy Tom Hanks as a mobster, I don't know but after seeing him in movies like "Big" and "Forrest Gump" he didn't match the role of a wiseguy, the movie didn't show the mafia in depth like Goodfellas and The Godfather, but the film and story were great. It had a predictable ending, if you pay close attention, and Hanks' mustache didn't really do anything to make him seem more of a mobster. Go see the movie, just had to point that out. Everything else is great.
Rating:
Summary: Overlooked Masterpiece
Review: This film was no less than spellbinding. I CAN NOT understand how this movie lost so many awards to "last-minute" films such as 'Chicago.' When I first saw this film, I new it had 'Best Picture' and 'Best Director' in the bag. However, I was mistaken, and the Academy's shallow tastes were victorious. The biggest complaint that I hear about this film is Tom Hanks' 'almost-absent' performance. First of all, this is not a typical Hanks movie, such as 'Big' or 'Forrest Gump.' He's not going to be a bubbly guy that everyone likes--he's a hit man. Not only that, but a father who realizes the grim reality of what it really means to be a father. The next biggest complaint is that 'Road to Perdition' was a poor gangster flick. It is not intended to be a gangster film. It was intended to be deeper than that (imagine that, you 'Fast & Furious' spoonfed movie viewers). It was about a father-son relationship that was built from the ground up when the dad had a brutal reality check. When Hanks' character finally had the time to spend with his kid, it was actually too late. Now that I'm off my soapbox, I can get down to what really made this film shine. Since this film was from a reknowned theatre director (Sam Mendes), 'Road to Perdition' is filled with theatrical intricacies and powerful figurative meanings. The mood of the film was perfectly created, and the imagery indulges the viewer in each meticulously-crafted scene. One could stop the film at any given point, and the picture shown could be the equivalent to a painting. The scene that lingers in my mind the most is a gunfight--delivered completely silent--except for the melancholy background music. That was amazing. Sam Mendes has done it again. This film, although it rightfully cannot be compared with, is of the same calibur of his debut movie, 'American Beauty.' Equally powerful, but less appreciated. In my book, it owns last year's 'Best Picture' award.
Rating:
Summary: Definatly the best movie ever.
Review: Anyone who has ever met me can be asked what is Dwights favorite movie and they will all reply "Road to Perdition". This movie is in every way a masterpiece. I went to theatres and watched it twice. Tom Hanks is most definatly the most versitile actor of all times. To go from "Splash" to "Forest Gump" to "Saving Private Ryan" to "Road to Perdition" to his new hit "Catch Me if You Can"(the new hit of his career) is awsome. No to exclude other hits like "Apollo 13" and "Philedelphia", but "Road to Perdition" is the best movie he has ever did. Also Paul Newman still has it. Jude Law pulls off the early 30's Chicago accent perfect. Congratulations to everyone who made this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to watch; impossible not to
Review: You just KNOW this movie can't end happily ever after, and of course you would be right. But even knowing the inevitable outcome doesn't prevent or can't stop you from watching each additional step down the road to perdition.
Tom Hanks is a good enough actor to rise above his real and personified usual casting as a good boy; in this movie, he's the hit man for a mobster, but he's also a loving husband and father. Things in his life and that of his family go horribly wrong when his son sees a mob execution and realizes what his father really does.
Paul Newman just doesn't make a bad movie, and this is no exception. He plays the aging but still powerful Capo di Tutti Capi, faced with terrifyingly divided loyalties between the weak and useless son who is his by blood, and Hanks, the strong and loyal 'son' who is his by love, affection, and admiration.
Horrific scenes of bloodshed, but even more difficult to watch is the inevitable erosion of love and respect between Hanks and Newman as they both ultimately realize that blood is thicker than water.
Spectacular, and there's a great cameo bit by Jude Law playing the creepy weird sort of groupie photographer of crime scenes.
Rating:
Summary: A Seriously Lacking Gangster Saga
Review: After being swept away by his brilliant dark comedy AMERICAN BEAUTY a while back, I was hoping that Sam Mendes' second feature, ROAD TO PERDITION, would bring about that same sense of magnificence that he brought to BEAUTY. Instead, what I got was a flawed and meandering story that didn't stay true to its characters or have anything meaningful to say. I like a lot of movies, but one of my favorites has always been the gangster films. Some of the best films ever made have been about organized crime and its damaging effects on a Mafiaoso's soul. THE GODFATHER I & II. GOODFELLAS. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA. These are just some of the greatest films that discussed the darker side of being in the mob or the Mafia, and I was hoping ROAD TO PERDITION would be in that same league but alas it was not to be. The story focuses on Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), a hitman for the Irish mob led by the aging but still fearsome John Rooney (Paul Newman). Rooney treats Sullivan like an only son - much to the dismay of Rooney's real son who is simmering with anger and jealousy. Michael has a wife and two sons and one night, the oldest son Michael Jr. sneaks in the backseat of his father's car to see what his dad really does for a living. He witnesses his father and Rooney's son killing a man and that leads to Michael protecting his son from his other "family." This sounds like a good story, but in reality, the way it plays on screen is far from the truth. While it has fine acting, gorgeous cinematography from the late Conrad L. Hall, and a stunning set design, the story is completely empty at its core. A lot of the revelations are shallow and predictable, and when Michael and his son are supposed to be bonding while on the lam, it feels forced and awkward. There's a theme running through the movie about fathers and sons, but it never gains full potential. Tom Hanks isn't the best choice for this role. Although I applaud him for trying something different, this is the first time I can safely say he was miscast in a movie. He tries to bring his usual Everyman-with-a-heart character into the role of Sullivan, but it never really works. He winds up becoming too low-key. In superior gangster movies, the only loyalty a mobster ever gave was to their families: the crime family and their own real family. Anyone who tried to step on them wouldn't be coming back. That's the kind of type needed for this role, but Hanks doesn't deliver. I guess after giving five great performances in a row - PHILADELPHIA, FORREST GUMP, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, THE GREEN MILE, and CAST AWAY - it was inevitable that Hanks would finally bottom out. The kid who plays his son isn't very memorable. You would think after seeing your mom and younger brother murdered, you would be traumatized by the event, but Michael Jr. never shows any real emotion and his transition from quiet child to fun-loving thrill seeker is lame. The rest of the acting is good though. Paul Newman is both charming and sinister in his all-too-brief supporting turn as Rooney; Jude Law is devilishly scary as a hitman who masquerades as a newspaper photographer; and Stanley Tucci provides balance as Al Capone's right-hand man. (Ironically, Capone is never seen in the film although they filmed scenes with Anthony LaPaligia playing Capone that are pretty good. Check it out in the Deleted Scenes section of the DVD). With all its high points, I would've expected a better movie. With a few casting changes and a tighter script, ROAD TO PERDITION could've went somewhere. As a final product, it's all gloss and no substance.
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