Road to Perdition [VHS]

Amazon.com:
In Road to Perdition, Tom Hanks plays a hit man who finds his heart. Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is the right-hand man of crime boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), but when Sullivan's son accidentally witnesses one of his hits, he must choose between his crime family and his real one. The movie has a slow pace, largely because director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) seems to be in love with the gorgeous period locations. Hanks gives a deceptively battened-down performance at first, only opening up toward the very end of the film, making his character's personal transformation all the more convincing. Newman turns in a masterful piece of work, revealing Rooney's advancing age but at the same time, his terrifying power. Jude Law is also a standout, playing a hit man-photographer with chilling creepiness. This movie requires a little patience, but the beautiful cinematography and moving ending make it well worth the wait. --Ali Davis

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Can the son survive his father's death?
Nothing to brag about. One more film about the end of prohibition and Al Capone. One more film on the mafia, both Italian and Irish. And yet this film has a slightly different touch. It is the fact that the father-son issue is widely explored. A mafia boss has a foolish and cheating son. He protects him and takes under his wing another man, Michael Sullivan, to transfer his paternal love onto someone worth it. Unluckily a detail one night brings the son of this latter man, Michael Sullivan Jr., into ... Read More
Rating: - piece of garbage
Road to Perdition (Widescreen Edition)
this is the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. The whole movie is pointless. The storyline is very unclear.
Rating: - A KILLER FINDS HIS HEART
ROAD TO PERDITION has become my favorite crime-drama. Hanks, and Newman turn in powerful, subtle performances in this poignantly beautiful film, but the cinematography almost steals the show. Conrad Hall's camera work throughout this quiet epic gangster story of family, and redemption is almost as magical as the still photography of Ansel Adams, and Mendes' direction is every bit as good here as it was in AMERICAN BEAUTY. This is a true gem of a movie and one of the few that has explored filial love ... Read More
Rating: - There's a problem when you start at the top.........
The only direction from there is down. Sam Mendes' sophomore feature film effort isn't quite as expensive or unsatisfying as Michael Camino's junior effort, Heaven's Gate, but it comes close. This is the problem of, pardon the expression, shooting your wad too soon. Where to start?

Miscasting: Daniel Craig being the only exception. How can you waste Jennifer Jsson Leigh in a bit part? Barely a bit part! Just because an actor can handle a part it doesn't mean you can or should cast them ... Read More
Rating: - A very fine, well-made film.
The "Road to Perdition" is a film about relationships, family, ethnicity, community and very much about America.More specifically, it is a story about a son, one of two, and his father.It is film with a lot of drive that gets it from the action in the story, more than from the dialogue.Overall, it has an honesty that comes across from the direction, the actors, the costumes and the scenery/locations.Most recognized in the awards the film gathered was the cinematography by Conrad Hall, which probably ... Read More