Road to Perdition

Excellent, but missing something for a full rating, even if it fulfils almost everything I expected. First of all, superb actors, a precise atmosphere full of revenge and grief, and a lot of very well shot shootouts. Moreover, Sam Mendes is truly unique and his subtle and precise signature literally radiates from every shot. What disappointed me a bit was the poorly built-up finale and also, and I can't help it, the somewhat faintly outlined relationship between the killer-father and his young son, which should be the main driving force. Otherwise, though, Mendes has once again shown to be a brilliant director, and his Road to Perdition is a bleak and thrilling spectacle unparalleled in recent years. 85% (01/06/2012)

This film is packed with big names, from the excellent Tom Hanks to Daniel Craig, and the result is a decent retro gangster flick that has a great and quite dense atmosphere in places. What holds me back a bit from a four-star rating, though, is that there is relatively little action for those two hours, the finale is not very intense, and most of the film is a drama that tends to just lean on the gangster genre and actually focuses more on talking. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Sam Mendes and his signature are evident, the filmmaking quality is not lacking and overall the film is very ambitious for its time, it's not unnecessarily demanding and it's "viewer friendly", but I was expecting something a little different. (17/05/2022)

Consumed with sentiment, pathos, and seriousness until my monitor cracked. Mendes is still the devil, yes. Scenes like the final showdown are absolutely fabulous. I didn't mind the Hanks stuff either. However, overall, I don't like the combination of a gangster movie with a tragic drama about discovering a relationship with your son. As long as it stays within the confines of a mafia movie, it's a fantasy. However, once the film moves into the "I had a nightmare" "Do you want to talk about it?" stages, it's bad. Because that sentiment is a little bit tacky in this movie. (05/02/2010)

Based on the successful comic book series by Max Allan Collins. With his film American Beauty, Sam Mendes raised expectations among critics and fans to such a level that he couldn't meet them, no matter how hard he tried. From my perspective, after careful consideration, I prefer Road to Perdition. Sure, in terms of choosing the subject matter, it was an obvious safe bet, but there was also a calculation with American Beauty, albeit a more subtle one. Mendes's gangster film is a compact piece in every way, with perfect cinematography, a strong story, and charismatic characters. Comparing Road to Perdition with what I've seen in the past year, I have no choice but to increase my rating to five stars. Overall impression: 90%. (14/06/2006)

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