The year is 1931. Great Depression. Prohibition. The era of Al Capone and men who aspire to become him. Mike Sullivan's job involves leaving the house late at night, packing guns in the back seat of his car. He owes everything he has in life to his "employer"--a man who owns the town. And yet, his ultimate hope and dream is that his eldest son will not follow his path. This is the setting for Road to Perdition. This is only the beginning.

Mike Sullivan is probably the darkest character that Tom Hanks has played to date. Hanks once again demonstrated his amazing talent and versatility when he portrayed this family (hit)man and the transformation that he is forced to undergo due to ever-changing and ultimately tragic circumstances. Through excellent dialogue and remarkable acting, Hanks delivers an unforgettable performance--quite frankly, I will be surprised if he is not nominated for an Oscar for this movie. On the surface, Mike Sullivan may appear predictable, but as we get further into the narration, it becomes obvious how complicated this character is. It is defined on-screen (quite successfully, I might add) through both Hanks's acting and the characters that are created to surround him. Jennifer Jason Leigh has a fairly small role as Sullivan's wife, but her presence is crucial to give dimension and, ultimately, motivation to Hanks's character. Same is true for Liam Aiken in the role of Sullivan's youngest son.

Paul Newman is John Rooney, a somewhat stereotypical character in the good old tradition of "mafia" movies--however, there is nothing static or pre-defined about this character's internal struggle. Newman is consistently brilliant as he portrays how his character is torn between the family obligation he has toward his undeserving son--and the respect he has for the man that he would rather have for a son. Newman is believable to the very end--and there are plenty of twists in the plot that owe their meaning and seriousness almost solely to Newman's terrific acting.

You may recognize Daniel Craig from last year's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider or 1998's Elizabeth. In Road to Perdition, Craig is great as Connor Rooney, a murdering, thieving, lying weasel--one of the more repulsive characters to have appeared on the silver screen in a while. It must have been a task of titanic proportions to relay the facial expressions, the tone of voice, the look in the eyes of this character, to make the audience believe that this man can indeed sink to the level he did. And Craig fulfills this task quite beautifully--you believe his every word, every look in his eyes; his dialogue flows naturally, and his actions are believable. Overall, wonderful performance in what must have been an extremely challenging role.

Jude Law, in the role of Maguire, delivers a very good performance; however, I was left with a feeling that something was missing in the development of his character. He did not have enough on-screen presence to show how truly despicable and yet fascinating his character was. His scenes are well acted out and his dialogue is delivered well--it is the character itself that I am still trying to form an opinion of. I hope that seeing the movie again will help me add dimensions to this puzzle.

Tyler Hoechlin is Michael Sullivan Jr. He is a relative newcomer, but I feel that he will be noticed after this role--he is very good, especially considering he appears in almost every scene and actually has to carry some of them on his own. Ciaran Hinds has a noteworthy cameo in the beginning of the film (many of you will probably recognize him from Sum of All Fears). Stanley Tucci's character adds significantly to the plot; however, Tucci's presence on-screen is not significant enough to explain and/or develop his character further.

As a finishing comment, I must say that it is a sad and somewhat disturbing movie. If you are looking for something to lift up your spirits, this is probably the wrong movie for you. The movie concludes on a fairly dark note, and even though there is a glimmer of hope in the ending, do not expect absolution--not by a long shot.

Recommended: Yes