Road to Perdition (2002)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers (WGA):

Max Allan Collins (graphic novel) and
Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel) ...

Release Date:

12 July 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Pray for Michael Sullivan

Plot:

Bonds of loyalty are put to the test when a hitman's son witnesses what his father does for a living.

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Revenge | Mafia | Snow | Loss Of Son

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 51 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Michael Sullivan
Tyler Hoechlin	...	Michael Sullivan Jr.
Rob Maxey	...	Drugstore Owner
Paul Newman	...	John Rooney
Liam Aiken	...	Peter Sullivan
Jude Law	...	Harlen Maguire
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Annie Sullivan
Daniel Craig	...	Connor Rooney
Ciarán Hinds	...	Finn McGovern
Craig Spidle	...	Rooney's Henchman
Ian Barford	...	Rooney's Henchman
Stephen P. Dunn	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman (as Stephen Dunn)
Paul Turner	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman
Kathleen Keane	...	Irish Musician
Brendan McKinney	...	Irish Musician

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Austria:14 | Canada:14A | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | India:A | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38889)

Filming Locations:

Barrington Hills, Illinois, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Producer Dean Zanuck had never seen a graphic novel before until he was pitched the idea of "Road to Perdition". Flicking through the pages of the novel, he was immediately hooked. He then sent a copy to his father, Richard D. Zanuck, who was on location in Morocco at the time. He also was smitten with the project and instructed his son to dispatch a copy of the novel to Steven Spielberg, who called back two days later, saying that he wanted to do it.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Michael is shot in the back at the beach house, you can see the bullets exit his chest but they do not break the grass window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael Sullivan, Jr.: There are many stories about Michael Sullivan. Some say he was a decent man. Some say there was no good in him at all. But I once spent 6 weeks on the road with him, in the winter of 1931. This is our story.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Old Torn Petticoat

Simply Beautiful

I loved so much about this movie...the time taken to develop the characters, the attention to detail, the superb performances, the stunning lighting and cinematography, the wonderful soundtrack...

It has a combined intensity and lightness of touch that won't work for anyone who wants the typical fast-paced action flick. If we lived in Elizabethan days, I'd say this movie's a bit like a Shakespearean tragedy. But since we don't, let's say it's more like a Drama-Suspense movie.

The plot is simple, but the story is complex. The movie is intelligent in the way relationships and issues are explored. Much of the story is shown rather than told, which I find makes it more subtle and moving - and which also works well for a story based on a comic book (or graphic novel). At times I felt I was actually there in the 1930s, part of this story - there was such a realistic yet dream-like quality in the style of its telling.

I don't often prefer movies to the books they were based upon, but in this case I do. (Though I did enjoy the book too.) I've bought the DVD, which is great because it has some wonderful deleted scenes and insightful commentary.

(I also took my little cousin, who's a little younger than the boy in the movie, to see it after I saw it for the first time, because he has issues at home and I wanted to use this as a way of starting a discussion on father-son issues with him. He loved it - and the discussion.)