Road to Perdition

Directed by Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition follows a mob enforcer (Tom Hanks’ Michael Sullivan) as he and his son (Tyler Hoechlin’s Michael) are forced to go on the run in the wake of a violent episode. Filmmaker Mendes, armed with a screenplay by David Self, delivers a consistently (and impressively) mesmerizing endeavor that grabs the viewer’s interest and attention right from the get-go, as Road to Perdition‘s been suffused with a whole host of compelling, spellbinding elements that cumulatively sustain the enthralling atmosphere – with, especially, Conrad L. Hall’s gorgeous cinematography, Thomas Newman’s haunting score, and a raft of above-average, thoroughly memorable performances ranking high on the picture’s list of hypnotic attributes. (Hanks’ immersive and career-best efforts are matched, and then some, by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Jude Law, Daniel Craig, and Dylan Baker, although Paul Newman’s predictably stellar turn ultimately does remain a highlight within the proceedings.) The compulsive watchable vibe is heightened by a recurring emphasis on scenes and sequences of a decidedly enthralling nature (eg Hanks’ figure meets with the assassin hired to kill him inside a small roadside diner), and it’s clear, too, that the whole thing builds towards a riveting and completely satisfying closing stretch that’s capped off with a note-perfect finale – which does, in the final analysis, cement Road to Perdition‘s place as an uncommonly (and consistently) engrossing adaptation that succeeds on every level it attempts.

**** out of ****