Review – Road to Perdition

The atmosphere is the big star of this odd movie based on a comic book. Indeed, the decision to employ big-name Hollywood types such as Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law almost detracts from the indie feel of the production. The story is a wintery tale of a hit man for a small-town syndicate (which apparently is somehow connected to Al Capone). Things go awry thanks to the crooked son of the local boss, and our hero’s family – except for his eldest boy – ends up murdered. Father and son take to the road, running from a psycho contract killer while trying to find a way to get back at the villain and the mob protecting him. The result is a mix of interesting crime drama and syrupy sweet bonding/coming-of-age flick. I found the driving lesson scene especially hard to take thanks to a similar episode from my own childhood. But that aside, this was a fun watch for a cold afternoon. Mildly amusing