Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, Road to Perdition (2002) was the highly acclaimed and highly anticipated second film by director Sam Mendes (American Beauty). With limited, sparse dialogue in the script, Mendes was able to convey much of the story through the powerful cinematography of Conrad Hall. Sadly, Road to Perdition was Hall's last film, but he deservedly won a posthumous Academy Award for his brilliant work on it. Starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law and Daniel Craig, the film perfectly recreates depression-era 1931 Chicago, in a respectful nod to the source material. A splendid work all around, Road to Perdition is a masterwork of atmosphere, and in terms of establishing time and place, and is deserving of repeat viewings.
1931: Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) has been a trusted enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) for years...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Tom Hanks and Paul Newman |
Their families are intertwined, with Rooney acting as a father to Sullivan, and as a grandfather figure to Sullivan's two young sons...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Paul Newman |
But John's son, Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig) is a bad seed with a chip on his shoulder...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Daniel Craig |
Connor snaps during a routine job with Sullivan, killing the man they were meeting with. Sullivan's eldest son, Michael, Jr., having hidden in the car, witnesses the bloodbath. Afraid young Michael will talk, Connor orders that the entire Sullivan family (wife, children and Sullivan himself) be murdered. Only the two Michaels, Sr. and Jr., father and son survive. Michael Sullivan vows to avenge the deaths of his wife and youngest son...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Tom Hanks |
But Connor Rooney has gone into hiding and is being protected by powerful men, including his father...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Daniel Craig |
and they have hired an assassin of their own to kill Sullivan, Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), a sadistic hitman with a penchant for photographing his victims post-mortem...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Jude Law |
Michael Sullivan must track down and kill those responsible...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Tom Hanks |
including John Rooney, the man who has been like a father to him...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002: Tom Hanks and Paul Newman |
so that Michael, Jr. can be free to live a safe life...
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| Road to Perdition. 2002 |
