For me, 'Road to Perdition' is Sam Mendes' second best film after 'American Beauty', though it is a very close call. It is every bit as wonderful a film, and while it may not click with everybody there is just so much to admire.
'Road to Perdition' has been criticised for starting off sluggish, Jennifer Jason Leigh being underused, Jude Law being out of place with a cartoonish one-dimensional villain, the action scene in the rain being anti-climactic, having a generic script and a lack of emotional attachment.
From personal opinion, however, the first ten minutes isn't as good as the rest of the film, but it is not due to the fact that it's uninteresting, just that 'Road to Perdition' is one of those films that gets even stronger and even more interesting as it goes on. It is true too that Jason Leigh is underused, though she still does a good job. So in conclusion from this paragraph, the criticisms are understandable, just don't happen to agree.
As said, there is so much to admire about 'Road to Perdition'. The cinematography is superb, some of the best and most beautiful of any film from the 2000s, while the evocative production design is every bit as good, completely transporting the viewer back to the a moody 1930s Chicago. Once again, Thomas Newman's music score is hauntingly hypnotic, achingly melancholic and at times ominous, one of his best scores and he has impressed many times.
Sam Mendes does a remarkable job directing, keeping the film at an assured pace and keeping the atmosphere alive, the chemistry between the actors and the characters' development never undermined. The script is intelligent and thought-provoking, there are better scripts around certainly but also far worse. The story is compelling and makes the most of its fascinating and complex themes, while the characters are well-fleshed out and certainly not stereotypical.
Didn't feel that it was detached emotionally, 'Road to Perdition' to me more often than not was intense and moving. The action is well-staged, and the aforementioned scene in the rain had a good amount of tension.
Cast against type, Tom Hanks is the epitome of haunting understatement, his eyes and facial expressions have such a haunted quality that is so telling and tells so much. In one of his last roles, Paul Newman was rarely more intimidating than here.
In a role far removed from his usual roles, Jude Law is chillingly eccentric, the character is kind of one-dimensional but still interesting and very well performed. Daniel Craig also excels in an atypical role, and Tyler Hoechlin surprised me in how good he was. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ciaran Hinds and Stanley Tucci are all solid.
All in all, a wonderful film that drew me in from the start and never let go and got better and better. 10/10 Bethany Cox.
'Road to Perdition' has been criticised for starting off sluggish, Jennifer Jason Leigh being underused, Jude Law being out of place with a cartoonish one-dimensional villain, the action scene in the rain being anti-climactic, having a generic script and a lack of emotional attachment.
From personal opinion, however, the first ten minutes isn't as good as the rest of the film, but it is not due to the fact that it's uninteresting, just that 'Road to Perdition' is one of those films that gets even stronger and even more interesting as it goes on. It is true too that Jason Leigh is underused, though she still does a good job. So in conclusion from this paragraph, the criticisms are understandable, just don't happen to agree.
As said, there is so much to admire about 'Road to Perdition'. The cinematography is superb, some of the best and most beautiful of any film from the 2000s, while the evocative production design is every bit as good, completely transporting the viewer back to the a moody 1930s Chicago. Once again, Thomas Newman's music score is hauntingly hypnotic, achingly melancholic and at times ominous, one of his best scores and he has impressed many times.
Sam Mendes does a remarkable job directing, keeping the film at an assured pace and keeping the atmosphere alive, the chemistry between the actors and the characters' development never undermined. The script is intelligent and thought-provoking, there are better scripts around certainly but also far worse. The story is compelling and makes the most of its fascinating and complex themes, while the characters are well-fleshed out and certainly not stereotypical.
Didn't feel that it was detached emotionally, 'Road to Perdition' to me more often than not was intense and moving. The action is well-staged, and the aforementioned scene in the rain had a good amount of tension.
Cast against type, Tom Hanks is the epitome of haunting understatement, his eyes and facial expressions have such a haunted quality that is so telling and tells so much. In one of his last roles, Paul Newman was rarely more intimidating than here.
In a role far removed from his usual roles, Jude Law is chillingly eccentric, the character is kind of one-dimensional but still interesting and very well performed. Daniel Craig also excels in an atypical role, and Tyler Hoechlin surprised me in how good he was. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ciaran Hinds and Stanley Tucci are all solid.
All in all, a wonderful film that drew me in from the start and never let go and got better and better. 10/10 Bethany Cox.