Road to Perdition

[CMJ]

Has anyone else seen this? It blew me away....

Quite simply, the best mob movie I've ever seen. Mendes has done it again, a truly wonderful film.

I can't imagine a better film being released this year(AOTC and this are like tied right now...I doubt I'll pick a winner for months). Wow...I'll post more thoughts later, but I'm still in a state of shock...and at the same time giddy.

This is why I goto the movies.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm going to see it next week. :)

[CMJ]

I can't recommend it enough.

[JonathanLB]

Looks pretty stupid to me. I might catch it on HBO in six months or maybe its network TV premiere in three to four years. I dunno, if I have time...

LOL, just kidding!!!

Duh, I am going to this movie at 10:20 tonight, I cannot wait. Going with my best friend. I've been looking forward to this movie for several months, since I first heard of it. Looks great...

[Nupraptor]

It was great. I saw the ending coming from a mile away, but I still loved it. It was kind of "Gladiator" meets "The Godfather". Everyone should go see this one.

[JonathanLB]

Anyone who was paying even a little bit of attention and has half a brain should see the ending coming from a mile away.

I mean, the way that entire part was shot (I won't spoil anything) just made it BLATANTLY obvious something was going to happen. But ok whatever.

I thought it was a great movie, but perhaps a little less great than I thought it might be. It was definitely a four star movie! It should have no problem making my top ten of the year, which is sweet. It's very rare I get the pleasure of seeing such an awesome movie.

Nonetheless, Minority Report was a much better film, as was The Count of Monte Cristo, and AOTC? lol, let's not even go there. Still, Road to Perdition was great. Personally I'd rank Spider-Man ahead of Road to Perdition. Even though they are totally different films, and basically impossible to compare, Spider-Man is one of the best comic book movies ever. It's one of the best summer blockbusters ever. Road to Perdition is not one of the best gangster movies I've ever seen. The Godfather is better, Goodfellas is much better, I still prefer Casino, and the list continues.

Anyway, if I were to compare slightly more "like" films, Monte Cristo, critically acclaimed or not (like I care, the book is still a great classic and the movie is just fantastic), is a much better revenge story. It's wittier, the acting is just as good (Guy Pearce, Jim Caviezel), it really makes you love going to the movies, it has infinitely better repeat value, it's much better directed, more well crafted, better musical score (though Road to Perdition has a great one too), more likeable characters (duh, hehe), etc.

I fail to see why a movie like Road to Perdition gets praise up the butt but a movie like Monte Cristo, which is better, doesn't get real reviews at all. It gets idiots who say, "Yeah this is a good movie, a solid B-." Oh my god, yeah whatever. Wouldn't know a great movie if it bit them in the ass. I've never physically met or spoken with anyone who didn't think Monte Cristo rocked.

Back to Road to Perdition, great movie, not one of the best of the year, probably is going to have trouble earning an Oscar nomination with less-than-steller reviews (3 stars from USA Today? B from The Oregonian? These are not Best Picture reviews... Minority Report, on the other hand, earned Best Picture caliber reviews).

[CMJ]

Eh, that's why they make more than one movie a year. ;)

I found it to be heads and shoulders above "Goodfella's" and "Casino" I will say that.

I SOOO dug "Road to Perdition" it's not even funny.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Though I haven't seen it, I have to say it will probably get acting nominations from Hanks and Newman, best picture is possible, but it will depend on what comes out from October-December and if its still remembered.

[JonathanLB]

True, Tom Hanks definitely deserves an acting nomination.

Well I didn't say I didn't like the movie, CMJ! You act like I was disappointed, which I really wasn't. I thought it was great. Only by really high expectations was I a tiny bit letdown.

The pacing in the first 30 minutes is absolutely glacial. I kept on thinking of Star Wars throughout the early parts because I am like, "See, a GREAT director would not make a movie that has such slow and worthless pacing for such a significant amount of time." In Star Wars, the plot moves from A to B to C to D to E to F, etc, and just keeps on going in logical progression exactly as film should. As any story should. Road to Perdition would have gotten 3 stars had it not gotten a lot better really quickly afterwards.

There is just no question we really didn't need so much exposition and BS at the start of the movie. It was enough to tell us that Hanks works for this maffia dude and enough to have him go on a mission that his son sees (you see this in the trailer, I'm not spoiling anything). The whole bit at the funeral at the start and Newman and Hanks playing piano was just a big waste of my time while I tried to figure out where the heck they were going with the movie.

Then once "the event" happens, the rest of the movie really rocks. It definitely deserves 4 stars and like a 94/100, but it loses those 6 points for poor pacing at the beginning and just not being as good of a revenge story as an epic like Gladiator or Braveheart.

So far, here are my four star movies ranked:
1) AOTC
2) Count of Monte Cristo
3) Minority Report
4) Spider-Man
5) Blade II
6) Road to Perdition
7) The Rookie

Yes, Blade II and Spider-Man are totally different movies, but they are better at doing what they are trying to accomplish than Road to Perdition does at what it's trying to accomplish. In the case of MR and AOTC, they are just flat out better movies in every respect.

[FLMKR4EB]

I gave Count of Monte Cristo a B-, I even watched the film with Kevin Reynolds, who then told myself and the rest of our party how much different he wanted it to be, including a much racier ending, which I wanted as well.

My top of the year now include...

1.AOTC (Only cause its Star Wars, so maybe I shouldn't count it...?)
2.Road to Perdition
3.Panic Room
4.Minority Report
5.Spider-Man

[Jedi Master Carr]

I really haven't seen enough movies if I made a list it would be too short I usually end up catching most movies on video 6 months later and rather not make a list until the follow year.

[CMJ]

I got this off another Board...so I have to give props to this guy(Kubla something was his handle)...but he basically syummed up what I felt about the film.

**********************

How to begin, words can hardly describe, in awe, amazed, stunned.

I saw it today. I watched perfection develop before my eyes. I thought I knew what was good. I did not know it could get this good.

Emotions, rage, love, hate, friends, guns, blood, green teeth, It’s All So F=U=*=*=I=N=G Hysterical! So Hysterical.

The madness of life is what Sam tries to covey. The sense of it all! It’s insanity.

The Road was long. The tears were wet. The bullets were hot, and the clutch was a clutch!

Hanks; this man is a gift. Not gifted, but rather a gift. God made Tom Hanks to show us what passion, drive, devotion, humor, love, anger, hate, humanity, and the insanity look like. I see him, I see my dad, I see myself, I see you. He is us, and as us, he is a gift. We can see ourselves. Our fears, our tears, our hate and love.

Newman; a crown on top of a towering career. What a way to finish it. He can retire now. “I’m glad it was you!”

Menedes; please make a movie every year from now until I die. Please!

This movie is not only great, it is beyond words. It is beyond review. It’s that rarest of purities, it’s simply perfection.

Time stood still as my heart beat fast under that rainy street. The fire of the gun, the emotion of the single line. The crime, the passion, the fear, the irony.

Why can’t all movies be like this movie? Why can’t all art be this good? Simply, this is humanity, expression, and us, painted on screen in blood and tears, a grays and blacks.

Why?

Why can’t it always be this good?

If you’re going to make a movie, don’t if it’s not this good.

I’m ruined. This movie was simply too good. The movement it stirred in my heart, soul, head is ruinous. Now I am again shown what a movie can do.

Road to Perdition is why God created Film.

Perfect, Jaded, Angry, Happy, Sad, Fun, Scary, Brilliant, Violent, Disturbing, Disturbing, Violent, Human, Passion, Fear, Pain, Loss, Loss, Its all Loss, What to do Now, get to the beach, end it. End it. Love. Love. Love. A father and a son, jealousy. One last thing, it’s all so F=U=*=*=I=N=G Hysterical.

I’m glad it was you. I’m glad it was you.

Simply Perfection = Road to Perdition

[JonathanLB]

I love David Fincher, but Panic Room was a disappointing effort from him given his other films. I gave Panic Room 3.5 stars, I really enjoyed it and it's incredibly stylish, but better than Minority Report? No. The story wasn't even close to as good, Spielberg is still a better director, Tom Cruise is a better actor than Jodie Foster is an actress (she is just getting worse; she was horrible in Contact and only pretty good in Panic Room). Plus MR is based on a classic sci-fi writer's story and is super well developed and thought provoking while Panic Room really does not make one think at all, which is a total departure from such great movies as The Game, Se7en, and Fight Club. Too bad because I love David Fincher and was hoping for a four star effort. Still, I very much enjoyed Panic Room. Won't make my top 10, though, sadly.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Thats a good article CMJ. I have one question thought how much is Capone's character in it? I heard his name mentioned in one of the trailers. I ask because of my knowledge of the era, Capone eliminated the Irish mob from Chicago in the late 20's the St. Valentine's Day Massacre was the epitome of that and afterwards the irish gangsters just couldn't compete with Capone's thugs.

[JonathanLB]

I detest sappy writing, lol. That guy's post is just annoying.

I prefer the more professional approach, excuse me while I go barf, lol. "Tom Hanks is an excellent actor who has carried many movies throughout his career, with Road to Perdition being no exception. Even portraying a character of somewhat questionable morals, he still seems likeable as a devoted family man and loyal father." I would write something like that, not something corny, but that's just me.

[CMJ]

Capone is mentioned by name only. Though one of his underlings is in it some.

[Nupraptor]

Originally posted by JonathanLB
I detest sappy writing, lol. That guy's post is just annoying.

I prefer the more professional approach, excuse me while I go barf, lol. Didn't your mother ever tell you, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all"? :p There's no need to pointlessly bash someone else's writing style.
Plus MR is based on a classic sci-fi writer's storyYep - Phillip Dick, the same guy who wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?" - AKA, Bladerunner. I think MR could very well become a modern Bladerunner.

[Dutchy]

Road to Perdition is solid moviemaking. Very stylistic, awesome cinematography. But all these great looking images left lil room for an emotional involvement. I felt distant from the story. Plus I didn't believe Hanks as a killer. Great music by Thomas Newman, who also did the music for American Beauty. It did have its good moments, though. Especially the driver's lessons and bank robbing scenes.

All in all an above average movie.