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Road to Tom Hanks...will be shy an Oscar.
While on my "weekend" with my Doctor pal, I decided that we should see Road to Perdition. It has been called The Best Movie of its Kind since the Godfather. Come on now, surely I'm not going to be taken in by THAT old gag. And I wasn't, but I went anyway...
Let me begin by saying that this film had cool locations, good tone, and nice performances all around. Tom Hanks goes from All-American-Good-Guy to Guy-Who-Kills-For-A-Living. But we don't care, we just love him. Jude Law and Stanley Tucci are hateable, while letting us understand why. Daniel Craig is a swell looking, bad man who we are led to hate very much. Alfred Molina ("Indy: gimme the whip!" AM: "Adios Senor") appears. Paul Newman is "the Don", who gives a servicable performance, but is not the Obscene Vanilla Bean we have come to expect.
Speaking of expectations, Sam Mendes should have expected more from his audience. This film was rated R for violence and language. This means that most of the audience is people over the age ot 17. Does he really think we haven't seen a mob movie before? Mobsters steal, they double cross eachother, they lie and keep secrets, they kill, and get killed. Yet Mr Mendes double and triple checks to make sure we know what is going on. Yes Mr Mendes, there's a double cross...yes, they are fleeing. Oh, THAT guy is coming to kill him...okay then.
Read More for spoilers...
Jennifer Jason Leigh's role was so miniscule that I was sure I'd be seeing her again in flashback form. No dice. And I kept guessing what they were going to say next. I thought, "man, I must be super smart". Only later did I realize that David Self's script has some predictable-ass diologue. The last word though, I guessed would be "Dad" when in fact, it was "Father". Shame on me.
And finally, I am sick of Tom Hanks getting raves for films where he makes us love and empathize with him, then he up and dies. Fuck him...and his making me cry in the theatre like a big idiot (no comments will be accepted on the phrase "big idiot").
So if the trailers for this movie meant "The best film of its kind since Godfather III" perhaps then it has lived up to its word. No, it's not all that bad. You will find many things to enjoy, and you will enjoy them just as much on video. In the mean time, get off your butts and buy The Godfather on DVD, and do it now, Now NOW!!!
Let me begin by saying that this film had cool locations, good tone, and nice performances all around. Tom Hanks goes from All-American-Good-Guy to Guy-Who-Kills-For-A-Living. But we don't care, we just love him. Jude Law and Stanley Tucci are hateable, while letting us understand why. Daniel Craig is a swell looking, bad man who we are led to hate very much. Alfred Molina ("Indy: gimme the whip!" AM: "Adios Senor") appears. Paul Newman is "the Don", who gives a servicable performance, but is not the Obscene Vanilla Bean we have come to expect.
Speaking of expectations, Sam Mendes should have expected more from his audience. This film was rated R for violence and language. This means that most of the audience is people over the age ot 17. Does he really think we haven't seen a mob movie before? Mobsters steal, they double cross eachother, they lie and keep secrets, they kill, and get killed. Yet Mr Mendes double and triple checks to make sure we know what is going on. Yes Mr Mendes, there's a double cross...yes, they are fleeing. Oh, THAT guy is coming to kill him...okay then.
Read More for spoilers...
Jennifer Jason Leigh's role was so miniscule that I was sure I'd be seeing her again in flashback form. No dice. And I kept guessing what they were going to say next. I thought, "man, I must be super smart". Only later did I realize that David Self's script has some predictable-ass diologue. The last word though, I guessed would be "Dad" when in fact, it was "Father". Shame on me.
And finally, I am sick of Tom Hanks getting raves for films where he makes us love and empathize with him, then he up and dies. Fuck him...and his making me cry in the theatre like a big idiot (no comments will be accepted on the phrase "big idiot").
So if the trailers for this movie meant "The best film of its kind since Godfather III" perhaps then it has lived up to its word. No, it's not all that bad. You will find many things to enjoy, and you will enjoy them just as much on video. In the mean time, get off your butts and buy The Godfather on DVD, and do it now, Now NOW!!!