| Road to Perdition | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sam Mendes |
| Screenplay by | David Self |
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall |
| Edited by | Jill Bilcock |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[1] |
| Box office | $183.4 million[1][2] |
Road to Perdition is a 2002 Americancrimetragedy film directed bySam Mendes and written byDavid Self, based on the first volume of theDC Comicsgraphic novel series of the same name byMax Allan Collins andRichard Piers Rayner. It starsTom Hanks,Tyler Hoechlin,Paul Newman (in his final live-action theatrical film role),Jude Law,Jennifer Jason Leigh,Stanley Tucci andDaniel Craig. Set in 1931, during theGreat Depression, the film follows amob enforcer and his son as they seek vengeance against the mobster who murdered the rest of their family. The film explores themes such as father-son relationships and the consequences of violence.
Road to Perdition was screened at the59th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2002, where it was nominated for theGolden Lion. The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 12, 2002, and was a box office success, grossing $183.4 million against its $80 million budget. Critics received it well and praised Mendes's direction,Conrad L. Hall's cinematography, and the cast's performances. At the75th Academy Awards, the film was nominated forBest Supporting Actor for Newman,Best Original Score,Best Sound Editing,Best Sound Mixing, andBest Art Direction. Hall was posthumously awarded the Oscar forBest Cinematography.[3]
Michael Sullivan Sr. was orphaned and then raised byIrish Mob bossJohn Rooney inRock Island, Illinois. Sullivan is now Rooney's most fearsome enforcer. Rooney has come to love Sullivan more than his own biological son, the rash and unpredictable Connor. Sullivan conceals his job from his eldest son Michael Jr., and his youngest son Peter, whom he raises with his wife Annie.
In 1931, Rooney's associate Finn McGovern speaks at his brother'swake, insinuating that Rooney is responsible for his brother's death. Rooney sends Connor and Sullivan to talk with McGovern; Michael follows them and watches the interaction from hiding. McGovern denies that his brother stole anything from the mob and implies that Connor was responsible. Connor shoots McGovern, forcing Sullivan to shoot the other armed witnesses in self-defense. The men discover that Michael saw everything and swear him to secrecy.
Rooney sends Sullivan to collect a debt fromspeakeasy owner Tony Calvino. Jealous and paranoid, Connor sends a letter with Sullivan for Calvino. Calvino reads the letter and reaches for his revolver, but Sullivan kills him and his bodyguard. The letter reads, "Kill Sullivan and all debts are paid". Sullivan rushes home and discovers that Connor has already murdered Annie and Peter. Michael was unharmed, as he had arrived home late from detention.
Sullivan and Michael flee Rock Island and head to Chicago to meet mobsterFrank Nitti. Sullivan offers to work for theChicago Outfit in exchange for permission to kill Connor. Nitti rejects his offer and advises Sullivan against seeking revenge. Rooney, listening next door with Connor, reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatchfreelance killer Harlen Maguire, whom Nitti orders to kill both Sullivans.
Sullivan plans to take Michael to his aunt's beach house in Perdition for safe haven. Maguire tracks them to a roadside diner, where he and Sullivan converse casually while Michael sleeps in the car. Sensing danger, Sullivan escapes with Michael and realizes Maguire knows their destination. Sullivan then begins robbing the banks that hold the Outfit's money, hoping to pressure the Outfit into withdrawing their protection from Connor. Sullivan teaches Michael to drive so that he can act as a getaway driver.
When the mob withdraws its money from its banks, Sullivan is forced to interrogate Rooney's accountant, Alexander Rance. Rance stalls Sullivan until Maguire appears with a shotgun. Rance is killed in the crossfire; Sullivan wounds Maguire and escapes with Rooney's ledgers. During the escape, Maguire shoots Sullivan in the shoulder. Sullivan collapses from his wound, and Michael drives them to a farm where an elderly couple helps Sullivan recover.
The ledgers reveal that Connor has beenembezzling from his father using dead men's names, including McGovern's. Believing that Rooney will give up Connor once he knows the truth, Sullivan returns to Rock Island and confronts Rooney, who is already aware of Connor's treachery. Sullivan states that Connor will be dead anyway once Rooney dies; Rooney still refuses to give up his son, urging Sullivan to flee with Michael and raise him to be a better man than either of them. Sullivan later ambushes and kills Rooney's bodyguards before reluctantly killing Rooney himself. Nitti reveals Connor's location after Sullivan promises to end the feud with Connor's death. Sullivan goes to the hotel room where Connor is hiding and kills him.
The Sullivans finally reach the beach house in Perdition. While Michael is outside, Sullivan enters the house where Maguire shoots him in the back. Michael appears and points a gun at Maguire, and Sullivan fatally shoots Maguire while he is distracted. Sullivan is happy that his son did not shoot, and then dies in Michael's arms.
Michael drives the car back to the elderly couple's farm and stays with them. In his narration, Michael states he has not held a gun since his father's death, and when asked if his father was a good man, he simply answers, "He was my father".
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WhenMax Allan Collins wrote the graphic novelRoad to Perdition, his book agent saw potential in the story as a film adaptation and showed it to a film agent.[4] By 1999, the novel had reached Dean Zanuck, who was the vice president of development at the company owned by his father, producerRichard D. Zanuck. The novel was sent to the elder Zanuck in Morocco, who was there producingRules of Engagement (2000). The Zanucks agreed on the story's prospect and sent it to director-producerSteven Spielberg. Shortly afterward, Spielberg set up the project at his studioDreamWorks, though he did not pursue the film's direction due to his full slate.[5]
Sam Mendes sought a new project after completingAmerican Beauty (1999) and explored prospects includingA Beautiful Mind,K-PAX,The Shipping News,[6] andThe Lookout. DreamWorks sent MendesRoad to Perdition as a prospect, and Mendes was attracted to the story, considering it "narratively very simple, but thematically very complex".[5] Mendes specified one theme being the parents' world is inaccessible to their children. Mendes considered the story's theme to be about how children deal with violence, and whether exposure to violence would render children violent themselves. Mendes described the script as having "no moral absolutes", a factor that appealed to the director.[7]
Spielberg first contacted screenwriterDavid Self to adapt the story into a feature film.[5] Self wrote an initial draft that remained close to the source material and retained most of its dialogue. The screenplay was then rewritten by uncredited writers, distancing the script from the graphic novel but leaving the core elements of the story intact.[4] Some of the harsher aspects of the story were toned down as the script became more streamlined. For example, in some early drafts of the screenplay, Sullivan became analcoholic, but this element was ultimately absent from the final version.[5]
The story is deeply informed by theLone Wolf and Cubmanga series. Novelist Max Allan Collins acknowledged the influence ofLone Wolf and Cub on his graphic novelRoad to Perdition in an interview with the BBC, declaring that "Road To Perdition is 'an unabashed homage' toLone Wolf and Cub".[8]
Some characters' names were slightly changed from their original versions in the graphic novel: the surname of the real-life gangstersJohn Looney and his son Connor were changed to Rooney, and the surname of Tom Hanks' character and his family was streamlined from the original O'Sullivan to simply Sullivan. One significant addition to the script was the creation of Maguire to provide a persistent element of pursuit to the Sullivans' departure from the old world.[4]
Hanks and cinematographerConrad Hall requested Mendes to limit violence in the film to meaningful acts rather than gratuitous carnage. Hanks' character, Michael Sullivan, is known as "The Angel of Death" and invokes fear in those around him, but his infamy is downplayed in the film.[7] Mendes, who described the graphic novel as "much more pulpy", sought to reduce the graphic novel's background to its essence, seeking the "nonverbal simplicity" of films likeOnce Upon a Time in America (1984),Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973),[5] and films byAkira Kurosawa that lack dialogue.[9] Duplicate language in characters' confrontations inRoad to Perdition was trimmed to the absolute minimum.[10] Mendes describedRoad to Perdition as a "poetic, elegiac story, in which the pictures tell the true story".[6] An example of one such unspoken scene in the film was the piano duet between Rooney and Michael Sr., intended to convey their relationship without words.[10] In the final 20 minutes ofRoad to Perdition, the script was written to have only six lines of dialogue.[6]
Max Allan Collins originally wanted to write the adapted screenplay but was not given the opportunity.[4] Collins chose to stay out of the scripting process out of respect for the different writing styles for a different medium, though he served as a consultant. Collins praised the addition of Maguire and considered the minimalist use of dialogue to be appropriate.[11] The author also applauded the film's version of Rooney as "more overtly a father figure" to Sullivan.[4]
Collins opposed the profanity in the script, as the vulgar language did not fit his vision of the 1930s.[11] Collins also contested the path of Sullivan's son in the film. In the graphic novel, the son kills once; in the film, Michael does not kill anyone. Collins also disagreed with the film's narration technique. In the novel, the son narrates the story as an adult, becoming a priest, while in the film, Michael narrates while still a young boy.[12]
Tom Hanks was sent a copy of the graphic novel bySteven Spielberg while he was filmingCast Away. Initially too busy to make sense of the story, Hanks later received David Self's adapted screenplay, which he became attached to. Hanks, a father to four children, described Michael Sullivan's role, "I just got this guy. If you're a man, and you've got offspring ... emotionally, it's devastating."[5]
Tyler Hoechlin was chosen from over 2,000 candidates to portray Michael Sullivan's son.[5] The actor was 13 years old while filming. In scenes in which Hoechlin's character assists his father as a getaway driver, Hoechlin is trained by a driving instructor.[13]
Paul Newman was unanimously the first choice for the role of John Rooney.[6] The actor prepared by requestingFrank McCourt, the Irish-American author ofAngela's Ashes, to record a tape of his voice.[5]
David Self, who created the Maguire character, explained, "He gets so jaded from exposure to this world, he steps over the line from being the storyteller to being the story maker."[9] To capture the "seedy countenance" of the character, Jude Law was given a sallow skin tone that reflected the wear from working in a darkroom. Law's teeth also received a lower gumline and had a rotted look.[13] Law was also given a weak, thinning hairline. Maguire's apartment also displays a collection of photographs of dead bodies, some of them actual police stills from the 1930s.[14]
Stanley Tucci was selective about roles in gangster films, believing that Hollywood stereotypedItalian-Americans as gangsters. However, attracted by the prospect of working with Mendes, the actor accepted the role of Nitti, a real-life Mob boss from Chicago.[15]
Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Al Capone and filmed a single scene, which was omitted from the final cut,[16] and can be found in the DVD's deleted scenes.[17] Mendes believed that Capone was more menacing as an unseen presence. ActorAlfred Molina was approached to portray Capone, but Molina was forced to turn the role down due to scheduling conflicts withFrida (2002).[18]
Mendes sought to produce aperiod film that avoided gangster genre clichés. Mendes chose to filmRoad to Perdition on location in Chicago, IL, including downtown at the University Club of Chicago, theChicago neighborhood ofPullman, theCharles G. Dawes House inEvanston, Illinois, as well as the far west Chicago suburb ofGeneva,Illinois.General Jones Armory, the state's largest location mainstay, which houses units of theIllinois National Guard, was provided to the studio by the Illinois State Film Commission. Sets were built inside the armory, including the interiors of the Sullivan family's home and the Rooney mansion. The availability of an inside location provided the crew complete control over the lighting environment, which was established with the rigging ofscaffoldings.[19]
Atmospherically, the landscape is a violent and magnificent canvas on which is told a mythic story of a father and son in the last period of lawlessness in American history.
Mendes collaborated with costume designer Albert Wolsky, production designerDennis Gassner, and cinematographerConrad Hall to design the film's style. Wolsky designed costumes that were "very controlled, with soft outlines and very soft silhouettes." Gassner built sets that could capture the cold look of the era. Mendes sought a muted palette for the film, having dark backgrounds and sets with dark, muted greens and grays. Mendes filmedRoad to Perdition using theSuper 35 format.[19]
The director filmed exterior scenes in Illinois in the winter and the spring of 2001, using real weather conditions such as snow, rain, and mud for the scenes. Mendes considered the usage of bleak weather conditions and the intended coldness of Gassner's exterior locations to define the characters' emotional states. Pullman became a key location to reflect this theme, having several settings, including the town's historic Florence Hotel, easily redressed by the crew for the film.[19] Filming concluded in June 2001.[5]
To establish the lighting of scenes inRoad to Perdition, Mendes drew from the paintings ofEdward Hopper as a source of inspiration, particularly Hopper'sNew York Movie (1939). Mendes and cinematographerConrad Hall sought to convey similar atmospheric lighting for the film's scenes, applying a "less is more" mantra.[20] Hall also shot at wide apertures that retained one point in thedepth of field sharply focused. Hall considered the technique to provide an emotional dimension to the scenes. The cinematographer also used unconventional techniques and materials to create unique lighting effects. One of Hall's methods was to use black silk in daylight exterior scenes to filter the light enough to create an in-shade look.[19]
Hall purposely distanced the camera from Hanks' character, Michael Sullivan Sr., at the beginning of the film to establish the perspective of Sullivan's son, who is unaware of his father's true nature.[5] Hanks's character was filmed as partially obscured and seen through doorways, and his entrances and exits took place in shadows. A wide lens was used to maintain a distance from the character.[19]
Shots in the film were drawn directly from panels in the graphic novel, illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. An instance of the direct influence is the scene in which Michael Jr. looks up at the Chicago skyline from the vehicle, with the skyline reflected in the vehicle's glass.[9]
A seamless 40-second driving scene, in which Michael Sullivan and his son travel into Chicago from the countryside, was aided by visual effects. The live-action part of the scene was filmed atLaSalle Street, and due to the lack of scenery for part of the drive down LaSalle Street, the background of Balbo Drive was included with the use of visual effects.[21]
[What's] important, in this story, is what the violence does to the person who pulls the trigger, and what it has done to them over the years, how it has gradually corroded them. It has rotted their insides.
The film's title,Road to Perdition, is both Michael Sullivan and his son's destination town and a euphemism forHell, a road that Sullivan desires to prevent his son from traveling. Sullivan, who chooses his violent path early on in life, considers himself irredeemable and seeks to save his son from a similarfate. Said Mendes, "[Sullivan] is in a battle for the soul of his son. Can a man who has led a bad life achieve redemption through his child?"[22] Hanks described Sullivan as a man who achieved a comfortable status through violent means, whose likely repercussions he ignored. Sullivan is a good father and husband but also has a job that requires him to be a violent killer. The film explores this paradoxicaldichotomy. When Sullivan is faced with the consequences, Hanks says, "At the moment we're dropped into the story, it is literally the last day of that false perspective."[14] To keep Sullivan from justifying his violent actions in the film, Mendes omitted scenes in the final cut that had Sullivan explaining his background to his son.[5]
In the film, most of the numerous acts of violence are committed off-screen. The violent acts were also designed to be quick, reflecting the actual speed of violence in the real world. The focus was not on the direct victims of the perpetuated violence but on the impact of violence on the perpetrators or witnesses to the act.[10]
The film also explores father-son relationships between Michael Sullivan and his son, Sullivan and his boss, John Rooney, and between Rooney and his son Connor. Sullivan simultaneously idolizes and fears Rooney, and Sullivan's son feels the same about his father. Rooney's son, Connor, has none of Sullivan's redeeming qualities, and Rooney is conflicted about whom to protect: his biological son or his surrogate son. Connor is jealous of his father's relationship with Sullivan, which fuels his actions, ultimately causing adomino effect that drives the film.[14]
Because Sullivan shields his background from his son, his attempt to preserve the father-son relationship is actually harmful. Tragedy brings Sullivan and his son together.[23] Sullivan escapes from the old world with his son, and the boy finds an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with his father. Tyler Hoechlin, who portrayed Michael Jr., explained, "His dad starts to realize that Michael is all he has now and how much he's been missing. I think the journey is of a father and son getting to know each other, and also finding out who they themselves are."[14]
Rain served as amotif in the film. It was developed after research for the wake scene at the beginning of the film informed the director that corpses were kept on ice in the 1930s to keep bodies from decomposing. The notion was interwoven into the film, which linked the presence of rain with death.[13] Mendes reflected on the theme, "The linking of rain with death ... speaks of the mutability of rain and links to the uncontrollability of fate. These are things that humans can't control."[13]
With filming concluding in June 2001, the studio intended a United States release for the following Christmas. However, in September 2001, Mendes requested more time. It was rescheduled for release on July 12, 2002, an unconventional move that placed the drama among the action-oriented summer films.[5]
Max Allan Collins, who authored the graphic novel, was hired to write the novelization for the film adaptation. Collins initially turned in a draft that contained 90,000 words, but the licensing atDreamWorks required the author to use only the dialogue from the film and no additional dialogue. Collins reluctantly edited the novelization down to 50,000 words and later said he regretted taking on the task.[11] In 2016,Brash Books published Collins' original version of the novelization asRoad to Perdition: The New, Expanded Edition.[24]
Road to Perdition was released onDVD byDreamWorks Home Entertainment on February 25, 2003, in both full screen andanamorphic widescreen versions. The DVD's features included an audio commentary, deleted scenes, anHBO "Making of" documentary, and a photo gallery.[25] Work on the DVD began on the same day the film's production began, and a collaborative effort among the director, the studio, and the DVD production crew shaped the DVD's content. Due to the limited space on the DVD, the film's deleted scenes were chosen over aDTS soundtrack. Instead, the DVD included aDolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.[26] A special edition DVD containing both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks was also released, excluding the "Making of" documentary to fit both soundtracks.[27]
Road to Perdition was released onBlu-ray Disc byParamount Home Entertainment on August 3, 2010, featuring a widescreen transfer, aDTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and all of the features from the DVD release.[28]
In February 2006,Viacom (now known asParamount Skydance) acquired the domestic rights toRoad to Perdition, along with the rights to all 58 other live-action films DreamWorks had released since 1997, following their $1.6 billion acquisition of the company's live-action assets.[29][30] In March 2019, the film's international rights transferred toThe Walt Disney Company, afterRupert Murdoch sold most of21st Century Fox's film and television assets to Disney. The film has since been made available to stream onDisney+ in international markets.[31][32] In the United States, the film was made available onParamount+.[33]
Road to Perdition opened in 1,798 theaters in its debut weekend, competing against several other new releases, includingReign of Fire,Halloween: Resurrection andThe Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. It ended up grossing $22.1 million, placing second to holdoverMen in Black II.[34] The film then beatMen in Black andStuart Little 2 to reach the number one spot during its second weekend with $15.4 million.[35] It grossed $104 million in the United States and $79.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $183.4 million.[2]
Road to Perdition received positive reviews from critics, with Conrad L. Hall's cinematography, the production design, and the lead performances of Hanks and Newman being praised. Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 82% based on 213 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes'Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons."[36]Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[37] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[38]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times praised Hall's cinematography and the thematic use of water. He also felt emotionally detached from the characters, saying, "I knew I admired it, but I didn't know if I liked it ... It is cold and holds us outside."[39]
Kirk Honeycutt ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised Hanks, Newman, and Craig but called Law's performance "almost cartoonish".[40]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone also complimented Hanks and Newman: "[They] act together with the confidence of titans, their talents in the service of character, never star ego." Travers cited Hall's "breathtaking" cinematography and composerThomas Newman's "evocative" score.[41]
Paul Clinton ofCNN said: "While these deeply human issues are touched upon, they're never fully explored, and that undermines the sense of greatness to which this movie obviously aspires." Clinton considered Craig's character "one-dimensional to the extreme". He found the cinematography too overpowering for the film's storyline, which he considered "weak".[42] J. Hoberman ofThe Village Voice described the film as "grim yet soppy". He added: "The action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed."[43] Stephen Hunter ofThe Washington Post thought that the script lost its path when Sullivan and his son fled their old life.[44]
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution enjoyed the film's cinematography, Depression-era setting, and the performances of Hanks and Newman. Gillespie wished the film lasted a little longer to explore its emotional core further.[45] Eric Harrison of theHouston Chronicle consideredRoad to Perdition "the most brilliant work in this [gangster] genre" since the uncutOnce Upon a Time in America (1984). Harrison considered Self's script "so finely honed that the story can change directions in a heartbeat."[46]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[47] | Best Supporting Actor | Paul Newman | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction | Dennis Gassner andNancy Haigh | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall (posthumous) | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Thomas Newman | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Scott Millan,Bob Beemer andJohn Pritchett | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Editing | Scott Hecker | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards[48] | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Paul Newman | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Conrad Hall (posthumous) | Won | |
| Best Production Design | Dennis Gassner | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Paul Newman | Nominated |
| American Society of Cinematographers[49] | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Conrad Hall (posthumous) | Won |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Top 10 Films | 5th place | |
| Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Paul Newman | Nominated | |
| Best Young Performer | Tyler Hoechlin | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film | Won | |
| Best Young Actor | Tyler Hoechlin | Won |
In April 2006,Empire recognizedRoad to Perdition as No. 6 on its list of the top 20 comic book films.[50]
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