Road
to Perdition
Dan's Comments
Road to Perdition was a good movie but don't get suckered into thinking
its some sort of monument to American cinema.
As good an actor as Tom Hanks is, there was no point in the movie where I thought
he was a evil. Hid did shoot a few people, but in every case had a good reason,
like saving his or his child's life. Sam Mendes should have known this and could
have easily solved the problem by opening the movie with Hanks making a cold-blooded
gangland hit. He didn't, so I spent the entire movie wondering whether Mr. Hanks
was really menacing. Because of this he was a distraction.
That's not to say that Road to Perdition wasn't a joy to watch. Jude
Law was excellent as the assassin's assassin. If I were a mob boss, I'd much
rather have him on my payroll than a conscientious hit man like Hanks.
You won't be disappointed in the richness of the movie either. By richness,
I mean the cinematography, the sound and effects and set design. All were well
done and added to the story by presenting a compelling sensory perception of
1920's mob life.
The script and plot were also compelling which gives the film a sense of quality
that should be appreciated by most movie goers. BUT, Road to Perdition
does not approach the complexity and character richness that made The Godfather
and Goodfellas great.
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Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004 Dan Dodson
