The relationship between a boy and his father is the basis for “The Road to Perdition” —a thoughtful film disguised as a mobster movie.
Tyler Hoechlin plays the young son, Michael Sullivan, and Tom Hanks portrays his father, Mike Sullivan. Hanks works for a man named Rooney, played by Paul Newman, who runs the small rural town the family inhabits. Set in the early 1930s, the man of the house is a mystery to his two young sons, Michael and Peter, prompting the older brother to tell his younger brother that their father was so important that he even undertook missions for U. S. president.
When Michael’s curiosity overtakes him one night, he hides in the back of his father’s car and witnesses the true nature of his job — Hanks is an enforcer for the powerful Mr. Rooney. Discovered by his father, Micheal is sworn to secrecy. However, ominous events unfold and the Sullivan family is threatened. Michael and his father must flee from his hometown on the road to Perdition.
Along the way several events pass which show Mike and his boy growing closer. Hanks teaches the younger Sullivan to drive a stick shift, illustrating a classic scene from any parent’s experience. In a bar, Michael asks his father for some money and is amazed at how quickly he agrees to it. Upon asking if he could have got more, the audience laughed along with Hanks when he jokingly replied, “You’ll never know.”
The most touching scene in the movie comes when young Michael, awoken by a nightmare, goes out into the living room to discover his father still awake. He asks his father if he liked his brother Peter more than him and Hanks does a masterful job of conveying the emotions that have made him one of today’s finest actors. He gives the standard answer of a parent, “No, no, I loved you both the same,” but somehow, in this moment in the movie, the two connect like never before. When Michael says that he is going back to bed, the two hug — the first sign of affection between the young man and his father.
Hanks is a fine actor, with special skills embedded in the subtle manipulation of his facial features, and the emotion he is able to convey. He does a wonderful job in this film, as he always does, and the newcomer, Hoechlin, shows remarkable promise. The cinematography in the film is excellent, with a lot of the scenes being shot in the rain, and the antique setting is thorough — evident in the cars, the style of dress and the diners that litter the streets.
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One of the only downfalls of the movie is the pacing. At times, the movie drags. Still, as soon as it begins to slow, a sequence begins that fully engages the audience again, taking them all the way to the only appropriate ending for a film of this kind.
Overall, this film is between good and great. The acting is excellent — there is good feeling between Tom Hanks and his co-star Tyler Hoechlin. However, at times the pacing is off and the movie seems to continue a bit too long.
