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Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a killer for hire for John Rooney (Paul Newman), the head of the Irish mob, who has raised him as a son. Though John is feared but dignified, his natural son, Connor (Daniel Craig), is just the opposite: cowardly, incompetent and jealous of the bond that ties John with Michael. When Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses an execution perpetrated by his father and Connor, Connor sees the opportunity to get rid of this troubling "brother" once and for all. Connor assassinates Sullivan's wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and his younger son. Survivors Michael and and Michael Jr. go on the run with only one idea in mind: revenge at all costs. Road to Perdition belongs to the genre defined by the Godfather. The film starts with a gathering of the clan, here it's a wake, and then destroys the family core with Machiavellianism worthy of a Greek tragedy before ending at the calm edge of a lake. The arrival in Chicago at Capone's building is reminiscent of The Untouchables. The theme of solitary revenge is also a major theme of the spaghetti western to which Road to Perdition is rather close. The rather simple scenario focuses on showing an unavoidable mechanism where the consequences are predictable. Everything resides in the atmosphere and the capacity to transmit the desire for revenge to the audience. The more odious the crime (here the murder of a wife and child) the more the audience will identify with a character who can then justify his acts. At the same time, Michael Sullivan is the standard antihero, a silent killer just like man with no name that made Clint Eastwood's reputation from the Leone trilogy to Unforgiven. Road to Perdition is an academic film, a work appreciated like still life paintings, whose beauty lies mainly in the execution and mastery. At this level, this is is a total success. Ditto Conrad Hall's (American Beauty, Marathon Man) photography is sublime. The gray tones and the many sequences shot in semi-darkness give the film a somber, retro quality that perfectly evokes the period of the Great American Depression. But the photographer doesn't limit himself to only reproducing the atmosphere of an era. The shots connect as succession of photographs where art interferes in the narrative. Sullivan's sordid environment is photographed as a film noir while the panoramic shots of immense landscapes crossed while they're on the run refer to freedom. On the contrary the city of Chicago is imposing and noisy, a reflection of the crime-related economic propensity. Mendes's direction is just as skilled. Again we see his taste for long traveling shots, his meticulousness and a talent confirmed to create emotion with image. In Road to Perdition, the dialogues are rare but the image and impassivity speak for themselves. The final confrontation between Michael Sullivan and John Rooney is a masterpiece of the genre where the sound and the typical action movements are annihilated, opting instead for silence and an immobility that grabs the audience by the throat while men fall around John and he remains imperturbable. As in American Beauty, Mendes prefers to concentrate on the characters and to use symbolism. Road to Perdition is above all a film about the relationship between father and son (hence the absence of female presences). The relationship between Michael and his son is paralleled to those between John and Connor and John and Michael. From whichever camp, the father will assume his role with dignity until the end, despite the consequences. The film also approaches religion and the existence of a choice between good and evil. The gangsters know they're effectively dedicated to hell and on several occasions, Michael Sullivan has the opportunity to stop before going too far. Though the title is obviously an allegory to Michael Sullivan's journey, the last sequence bathed in clarity, contrasting with the rest of the film, is a symbol of redemption. Mendes also positions Road to Perdition as the opposite of American Beauty through a metaphor of an image found in both films. In American Beauty, a film about the desire to live, a teenager filmed life through the wind or while following characters. On the contrary in Road to Perdition, a film about a world where death reigns, sadistic killer Maguire (Jude Law) photographs the final breath of the living. The director again works with the composer of American Beauty and the music of Road to Perdition sometimes echoes this film and brings a strange baroque feeling to the scenes where it's added. The film however has some unfortunate gaps. The father-son bank robber scenes resound with a blissfully happy joy reminiscent of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and break the film's tone. It's also surprising that as a professional Michael doesn't finish his task in the hotel with Maguire while he has the chance. Finally, after being robbed of thousands of dollars, Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci) doesn't seem too bitter and coming from Capone's "Enforcer", his complicity in allowing Michael to go about his business is rather surprising. The cast is flawless. Tom Hanks is cold and distant, far from his usual roles he opts for minimalist acting. Paul Newman is more dignified than ever and doesn't need to do a lot to be gripping while Jude Law is perfectly sadistic. An unencumbered but fascinating journey.
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