A Film Noir by Sam Mendes.
Some films are on our watchlists for a long time, and when one finally watches them one regrets having waited so long. Road to Perdition was such a film for me: despite many reasons for watching it, it never seemed to be the right time for it, until this year. It left me impressed and remained on my mind - so much that I'm recommending it here, despite being an older production. Here is why.
Released in the year 2002, Road to Perdition was directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall, 1917) and stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law in the leading roles. Besides that, Tyler Hoechlin plays Hanks's young son in an important role, and the supporting cast is also stellar: Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ciarán Hinds and Stanley Tucci round off the exceptional cast.
Tom Hanks plays the protagonist, Michael Sullivan, who works for an Irish-American mob boss in the Depression Era in Illinois. Having grown up under the protection of mob boss Rooney (Newman), he is very loyal and has an almost father-like reverence for his boss. The situation in the crime family gets out of hand when the jealous real son of Rooney (Craig) stirs up trouble. Sullivan needs to protect his family and plans revenge against those who crossed him, changing his entire life.
The plot is based on a graphic novel, and is comparable with those of other mob related films. There are, however, plenty of surprises and great moments which set this film apart from generic mob films. Besides that, the great all-star cast and directing make this a pleasure to watch.
One of the reasons why I probably didn't feel like watching this film a few times when I had the chance was the somber, dark setting. Despite doing many great Film Noirs of both past and present filmmakers, one is not always in the mood for it. In this film, it turned out to be one of the greatest assets, as the atmosphere and cinematography are mind-blowing. It was created by Conrad L. Hall, who won his third Oscar for his work on this movie posthumously, as it turned out to be his last production. (He formerly won it for the masterpieces Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and American Beauty, the latter also directed by Mendes). The artistic value of this film is certainly great, with exceptional scenes especially being shot in the rain and with the use of windows and doors. (see images)
This masterpiece is certainly one of the best "older" films I've seen in the last few months, and will remain in my mental film shelf as one of the great mob films besides Once Upon a Time in America, The Godfather I and II and Goodfellas. It is currently on Netflix which makes it more accessible. (at least in Switzerland, June 2021)
(Images: IMDB)