Road to Perdition movie review
All video and pictures used in this review are legal under the terms of the fair use agreement of 1976. Also be warned there will be some crude language in this.
Welcome to another movie review here on this channel. This time round for the movie in question it’s going to be a change of pace. Usually it would be a sci-fi, fantasy, or sometimes even a comic book movie. But this movie review will dive into the dark gritty world of gangster noire. The movie in question for review is the 2002 film, Road to perdition.
Now for starters it should be of note this film has an R rating. That’s due to some very bloody moments and some sexual innuendo at points in the movie. Of course, this is the genre of gangster noire or crime drama. And this film is no exception to that rule.
Among the noted stars of this movie are as follows. Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan. Paul Newman in his last film stars as John Rooney. And Jude Law stars as Harlan Mcguire. Special note should get paid to Tyler Hoechlin who stars as Michael Sullivan Jr.
The film starts off with the Sullivan boy staring out at the ocean. Voice over narration from him asks about whether Micheal Sullivan was a good man. And from the tone the boy uses it’s clear uh-oh something bad happened here.
The scene then shifts back to the winter of 1931. In that time prohibition has turned many cities of the country into war zones. Though one would never think it from the way things look. In this time Irish gangs are in a bitter feud with the Italian gangs for control of the illegal liquor market. It was during this time that Al Capone was becoming one of the top Gang Lords.
In this time of the Great Depression Michael Sullivan Sr. (Hanks) is a fearsome Irish mob enforcer. Mob boss John Rooney raised Sullivan after he lost his parents. At the start of the film Sullivan lives in Rock Island Illinois. Unknown to Sullivan’s children he is one of the most feared of Rooney’s enforcers. So much so that John loves him more than he loves his own son Connor.
Yeah, it’s already clear this is not going to end well. Jennifer Jason Leigh takes on the role of Sullivan’s wife Annie. Micheal Jr is a paperboy and known as a sort of troublemaker. It’s typical of boys at twelve years of age. But that penchant for mischief is about to land the boy in a terrifying world he never thought possible.
At the Wake for the brother of Finn McGovern, John Rooney gets introduced. Rooney's been like a grandfather to young Micheal and Peter Sulivan. He takes the boys to the basement. There they engage in a round of dice, in disregard of Micheal Senior’s warning against such gambling. Then comes the wake where things start to go downhill.
Finn McGovern played by Ciarin Hinds speaks up. And he insinuates that Rooney was responsible for his brother’s death. Uh-oh this is not going to end well!
Later that night Sullivan and Connor Rooney played by Daniel Craig pay a visit to McGovern. Unknown to them 12-year-old Michael Jr. has hitched a ride with them. There young Michael sees what starts out as a simple discussion turn violent in a hurry. McGovern explains his brother did nothing wrong and stole nothing from the Irish Mob. In fact, he implies that it was Connor who has been stealing from the family.
Connor ends up killing McGovern in a burst of anger. Sullivan ends up defending himself from the other armed official there. Yup things didn’t turn out well…called it! And things are about to get far worse. Michael Senior finds out his son is there…and saw everything.
As if the boy didn’t have enough on his plate with growing up, now this happens. Welcome to the real-world kid, it’s not a pretty place! Sullivan swears his son to secrecy in the matter. And the boy keeps the secret and that’s the end of things right, wrong! Things are about to get far worse for the Sullivans.
Rooney sends Sullivan to collect on a debt from Tony Calvino. Seems like standard procedure for the Irish Mob. Things start off civil with Calvino as played by Doug Spinuzza. But things turn ugly when Sullivan ends up killing Calvino and his henchmen. Then he finds a note in Connor Rooney's handwriting.
The note reads, “Kill Sullivan and all debts are paid.”
That’s when Sullivan senior puts the pieces of the puzzle together. Connor who has always been unpredictable is jealous of Sullivan. Jealousy is always a nasty demon and when it possesses mobsters it’s even deadlier. When Sullivan does arrive home, he finds that Connor has murdered his wife and youngest Peter. The only survivor is Michael Jr who came home as Connor left.
Yup the bad situation keeps getting worse. Sullivan senior realizes it’s not safe for them in Rock Island anymore. The two flee to Chicago the epicenter of mob activities. There Sullivan meets with Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s right-hand man. He offers to work for the Chicago Outfit.
In return he asks permission to go after and kill John Rooney and his mob. As much as Nitti would like to have Sullivan work for them, he rejects the offer. He also advises Sulivan to take his son and go back to Ireland. Rooney and Connor were listening from the other room. It seems they’ve got an arrangement with the Outfit.
This bad situation keeps getting worse! But the fun isn’t anywhere near done yet! Connor in reluctance allows Nitti to hire a freelance killer. In this case Nitti hires a very sadistic one named Harlan Mcguire. This guy is so sadistic he enjoys taking photos of his bloody and brutal handiwork to show his clients.
To be fair it does show the job got done but Mcguire takes a twisted pleasure in his art. A sadistic freelance killer indeed.
The Sullivans arrive at a roadside diner. It’s clear the boy is still traumatized by recent events. Michael Jr remains in the car while Michael Senior goes in to get something to eat. Mcguire arrives a few minutes later. Uh-oh this could get ugly in a hurry.
The two grown men get into a casual conversation. Yet It’s clear to Sullivan something is wrong. But rather than panicking Sullivan plays it real cool so as not to alert Mcguire. While the hired killer is waiting Sullivan makes like he needs to use the restroom. The former enforcer slips out a window.
He slashes the tires of the assassin’s car and then flees with his son. Very sneaky Sullivan, very sneaky indeed.
Unfortunately, this changes Sullivan’s plans for his son. He had planned to drop the boy off with his aunt. But with a hired killer on their tail neither are safe anymore. Things keep getting uglier as Sullivan senior seeks revenge for the death of his family. Again, this is not going to end well!
Sullivan begins robbing banks that the Outfit has its money in. All part of a scheme to get said crime organization to withdraw their protection from Rooney. He teaches his son how to be the getaway driver. The Outfit catches on and has all the money withdrawn from its banks. This throws a monkey wrench into Sullivan’s plans.
So, he pays a visit to Rooney's accountant Alexander Rence played by Dylan Baker. Rence stalls Sullivan while Mcguire arrives to finish the job. The only thing that saves Sullivan is his son manages to honk the car horn in warning. In the crossfire Rence gets killed. Sullivan senior gets shot as he flees.
Father and son end up at a farm in rural Illinois and get help from an older couple.
After that it’s a countdown to the final confrontation between Sullivan and Rooney. And there will be some tragic but not unexpected consequences. How will Michael Sulivan Jr’s life change from the events about to unfold?
Now to be fair this movie did get mixed reviews when it came out back in 2002. But this movie has built something of a cult following over the years since it came out. And it’s understandable why this is so. Tyler Hoechlin as Michael Sullivan Jr turns in a terrific performance. Tom Hanks is terrific as the older Sulivan, a dangerous mobster who lives by a code of honor.
Daniel Craig turns in a terrific pre-James Bond performance in this 2002 movie. Paul Newman is very sympathetic in his final live action role before his passing. And Jude Law as the sadistic freelance killer Harlan Mcguire is terrifying in this role. It’s the kind of role that makes a person think twice about visiting a photography studio for a picture.
So, this was a very well done, very gritty and bloody gangster crime drama flick. Not a popcorn movie but a terrific and dark story. To be fair not everything needs to be a popcorn flick, you can have some compelling stories in movies.
My only complaint was it had a lot of whispering in it. That seems to be a bad habit that’s been happening in a lot of movies as of late. It’s a habit that needs to get broken. It’s not necessary to whisper all the time. We can have a good story with actors who speak up.
I give this movie a B minus rating. They could’ve done without all the whispering, but it was still a great movie to watch. As stated, this is a rated R movie so it’s not for the kids at all. Be sure of this if you decide to get this movie on DVD, Blue Ray, 4k, or stream it.
Thanks for reading this movie review. I hope you enjoyed this little venture into the world of noire crime drama. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Did I do good or does my work need improvement? I appreciate any and all input.
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