“The Road To Perdition” tells the story of two generations of two families. At the head of one family is Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), a 1930s hitman keeps his life a secret from his sons Peter (Liam Aiken) and Michael, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). His wife, Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) helps to keep her husband’s life a secret. They tell the boys that Michael is a traveling salesman. At the head of the other family is John Rooney (Paul Newman), an aging crime lord whose son, Connor (Daniel Craig), is slated to someday take over his father’s Irish mob.

Connor, though, is a bit of a problem to his father. One day, after the wake of one of their own, John sends Connor and Michael to talk to the dead man’s angry brother (Ciarin Hinds). Connor, however, disregards his father’s orders and kills the man. The dead brothers were prepared to expose Connor’s scheme where he skimmed some mob money for himself. Michael, in self-defense, kills the man’s armed guards. Unfortunately, young Michael has chosen this time to sneak along and see his father at work, and he witnesses the murders. Even though Michael, Sr. has assured John that his son won’t tell, John will not go against his family under any circumstances. An attempt to silence Michael, Jr. results in the deaths of Annie and Peter instead. Michael’s sole responsibility is now to ensure the safety of his son.

The Sullivans travel to Chicago, where Michael Sr. offers his services to Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci). The Rooneys, though, arrive in Chicago ahead of the Sullivans, and Frank allows the Rooneys to secretly hear every word of the conversation. Nitti also promises John and Connor his help. Nitti sends one of his most dangerous and cunning assassins, Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), to track down and kill the Sullivans. A dangerous cat-and-mouse game then commences across the state of Illinois, with each side looking to inflict a maximum amount of damage.

One sequence in the middle of “The Road To Perdition” gives away the ending, so I won’t spoil that detail. Like his previous film, “American Beauty,” director Sam Mendes has, once again, given us a story about a man dealing with his imminent death. That, in a way, also applies to John and Connor Rooney, whose fates become tied to one another. Even though the people in this movie have strong ties to one another, they find that the strongest ties are the ones of flesh and blood. John knows that Connor was in the wrong, but when it comes to taking the fall, John will never let that person be Connor. That, and other key decisions made in this film, will prove to have far-reaching ramifications.

The big difference between Mendes’s two films, though, is the level of interest. In both cases, the actors deliver outstanding performances. “American Beauty” is a dark, comic, and compelling look at life in suburban America, where people measure their importance by the wealth they can attain. The more they attain, the more self-absorbed they become. It was an original screenplay, and an Oscar winner. “The Road To Perdition,” on the other hand, is based on a graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Raymer, and on the screen, it comes across as the glorified comic book that it is. There is much less emphasis on character and more emphasis on the chase. We get scenes of Michael making his plans against everyone, and then getting into gunfights with Maguire or the Rooney mob. The planning phases, in fact, make the film just a little too slow.

The element that makes “The Road To Perdition” work is the acting. Both Hanks and Newman depart a bit from their usual roles as charming good guys to prove, quite successfully, they can play it bad as well. Unlike a lot of crime movies, where people yell and scream their threats, these actors let their bullets make the most noise. The power comes from their words, and the precise delivery of them. Kind words of assurance become thin covers for lies, and both men know it. A simple driving lesson that Michael gives his son is, on the surface, a special moment between father and son, but it also proves to be a gift of survival. Hoechlin is so good, you’d think he and Hanks were really related. He has watched his father more closely than the elder Michael ever realized, so he understands the lessons he’s getting. I like Law, but I think his portrayal of Maguire is more standard issue than special. Tucci, who specializes in quiet, understated performances, does what he does best as the real-life Chicago mobster Frank Nitti. Conrad L. Hall, who won an Oscar for his cinematography on “American Beauty,” captures the scenes just as beautifully here. His rain shots will likely remind some of the same thing he did years ago in “In Cold Blood,” which also won him an Oscar.

John Rooney, at one point, tells his man, Michael, that the life they lead assures them that they will never see heaven. Life may be filled with acts of perdition, but ultimately, no man has the final say on whether their lives have created a road to perdition. “The Road To Perdition” argues for and against John’s remark with equal success. The movie is full of journeys. Some are first journeys, and others are final journeys. While “The Road To Perdition” doesn’t have characters as compelling as “American Beauty,” we are still treated to a very satisfactory ride.

Recommended: Yes