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Road To Perdition (2002)
Reviewed on 2012 July 4
This is a very strong movie, based loosely on the real-life John Looney, a Prohibition-era gangster in Rock Island, Illinois, and featuring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, and a pre-Bond Daniel Craig. It’s also noteworthy for the singular task of actually making Jude Law look disgusting.
Mike Sullivan (Hanks) is a gangster and enforcer for a seemingly benevolent (to him) hood, a paternal and frighteningly charming Irish thug named John Rooney (Newman). For obvious reasons, Mike doesn’t discuss his work with his family; his son Mike Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) just knows they’re more prosperous than most families and “Uncle John” always has coins and hugs for them.
One night Mike Jr. sees something he should not, and his father bundles him into the car and drives away, trying to keep him safe and exact revenge on his one-time boss. It won’t be easy for them to hide, because Rooney dispatches a repulsive human tick named Harlen Maguire (Law) to execute them.
When you wrap this kind of talent around a great story, you can’t miss. There’s nothing here I didn't like; I love crime dramas, especially ones with a grain of truth, and the script and acting were top-notch. The lighting, atmosphere and music were all wonderful, with Hanks doing some of his best stuff here. The fact that they shot a lot of this in Chicago and the surrounding counties made it even better.
Three chocolate morsels.
— Shukti
