Road to Perdition

Thanks to Mendes, this atmospheric gangster movie is quite untraditional (for the genre, not for Sam) in terms of visuals and is more colorful than usual. Sort of unusually “beautiful", but still dark. Excellent acting and that revolting creature Jude Law got that trick with the coin down to a T. Road to Perdition has several extraordinary scenes, but Thompson in the rain is enough to give you a heart attack. (01/07/2012)

Filmed based on the successful comic book series by Max Allan Collins. Sam Mendes aroused such expectations among critics and fans with his American Beauty that he would not be able to satisfy them no matter how hard he tried. From my perspective and after sober consideration, I prefer Road to Perdition. Clearly, in terms of material selection, it was an obvious bet on certainty, but with American Beauty, that calculation was also, albeit more sophisticated. Mendes' gangster film is a compact film in every aspect, with perfect camera work, a strong story, and charismatic characters. Comparing Road to Perdition to what I've seen in the past year, I have no choice but to raise my rating to five stars. Overall impression 90%. (06/14/2006)

Road to Perdition is another film with my favorite theme. As Lord Vetinari used to say, if we can't eradicate crime, at least make it organized. The film had a great atmosphere, Tom Hanks' performance was excellent as usual, Jude Law was as pleasant as a bucket of slime and Paul Newman gave as fine a performance as Tom Hanks, as expected. I have only two gripes. It was crystal clear how it was going to end. I’m also not sure how it was possible that after the bullet hit the window, blood splattered the glass, but the projectile somehow mysteriously disappeared. (07/21/2017)

I can't help it, but Tom Hanks just didn't fit in there for me. Or maybe I just thought that Hanks would be a bit rougher. But such a breaking of image, he probably couldn't afford it. That Sam Mendes would make a good movie, that's quite clear, what surprises me more is that it's possible according to the comic book written by Max Allan Collins. I haven't read the comic yet, but I will get to it too. It's lying on my desk. Mendes chose the perfect style, the right visual side, and the intensity of the situations is mostly emphasized with a minimum of explicitness. The finale is excellent, I admit that I completely forgot about it. (03/19/2014)

The best film of Sam Mendes and an absolute top in the gangster genre. The atypical casting of Hanks as a dark hero is an ideal counterpart to Newman's tragic boss, and his journey, fearlessly mowing down enemies led by perfectly slimy Law, is additionally captured by an amazing camera (see the unforgettable arrival in Chicago) and supported by impressive music. An underrated film. (12/19/2005)