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*** Official "ROAD TO PERDITION" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

Mark Pfeiffer

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Road to Perdition is a solid, well made piece of entertainment, and it's definitely a cut above what usually comes out during the summer. I liked it but wasn't exactly bowled over like some of the early "best of the year" talk. I'm not quite sure how audiences will react.
 

Mark McLeod

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Does anyone have a running time. I have passes to a screening on Wed but I've heard there's a screening tonight that I can talk my way into however I'd like to know how long it runs before I decide to go out and catch it.
A quick answer would be appreciated :)
Mark
 

teapot2001

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Janet Maslin did think that it would be considered for Oscars.
By the way, the critics seemed to all agree that, so far this summer, Minority Report is the best Hollywood movie and The Fast Runner is the best indepedent movie. I agree with them about Minority Report; however, I felt The Fast Runner was merely good, though it has what I consider to be the best sequence ever involving a naked man running through a frozen terrain. :)
~T
 

Mark McLeod

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So I got into the screening last night which wasn't as easy as I originally thought due to my information about it being a private screening being incorrect. It was a public screening and by the time I arrived (roughly an hour before showtime) there was already a massive lineup of people who had passes. I spent 40 minutes (untill they let the lineup in) schmoozing various people including Paramount and Dreamworks reps but alas their extra tickets were already taken.

As luck would have it I found a group of three people who had 2 double passes and they agreed to let me go in with them.

Now for the movie itself. It's a very good motion picture that's just missing that little extra something that would bump it from good to great. The acting is strong, the cinematography is excellent though the print/presentation was poor. The story and character development could use a little work. I'm not sure if I like this current trend of using graphic novels as source material.

It's not quite the caliber of American Beauty but going in I wasn't expecting it to be. That is one hard film to follow up.

The movie also doesn't feel like a summer film and I'm worried that it will get lost admist the MIB2s, Mr Deeds and other mindless summer fare. Minority Report seems to be doing well since it's such a strong film but this one might stumble. Either way it's a good film and I eagerly await tomorrow night when I can see it again. Hopefully the presentation at the other theater will be better though based on past experiences I'm not counting on it.
 

Robert Crawford

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This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Road to Perdition". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.
All HTF member film reviews of "Road to Perdition" should be posted to this thread.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Crawdaddy
 

Brent Bridgeman

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I haven't heard much about this one. Is Tom Hanks in the Bing Crosby role? Isn't Bob Hope a little old be be doing pictures? He's made up to look a lot like Paul Newman in the previews I've seen. And, is Perdition anywhere near Morrocco?
I'm sorry. Couldn't resist.;)
 

Lou Sytsma

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Most reviews I have read make reference to other gangster movies. One review said it was more akin to Shawshank Redemption in the themes it presented.

Anyone concur with that reference?
 

Adam_S

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it's funny that others bring up shawshank as they seem to me to be two diametrically different films. However I also brought up Shawshank in my review (rave) of the film, as I said there the reason it gets brought up by me is because this film is immediately vaulted to that league and caliber of film, storytelling at it's finest and filmmaking at it's pinnacle. Road to Perdition isn't quite as good as Shawshank, but it's the rare film that meets that league of film. I enjoyed it much more than American Beauty, which I felt was too affected and full of itself, though technically an outstanding work it never connected with me as either a comedy, drama, or satire and I tried it on all those levels.

It seems that many reviews that are somewhat negative are negative because it is too 'predictable' I think that is something of a feature of this story. It's supposed to be inevitable and predictable, from the moment the picture opens his son is standing staring at an ocean? lake? we dont'yet know, talking of his father in the past tense. Ebert's review really nailed this point with his comparison to Greek Tragedy, though I don't think that the analgoy works fully, because there is no deas ex machina because the killer is set up to be Michael's killer throughout the film
it's just one more step on the road to inevitibility, and in this case perdition.

As much as I hate to say it, Harry Knowles' review is actually fairly spot on, from classifying this in the rank of gangster films to it's rank in this years pantheon.

ONe important distinction should be made, this is a gangster film in the tradition of Scarface (32), Little Caesar, and Miller's Crossing, not a mafia film such as Godfather, Goodfellas, and Casino.

Adam
 

Mark Pfeiffer

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My main criticism of Road to Perdition is that if you're going to make a character piece, you need a lot more substance than what is present. I thought the characters were too thinly drawn, which is what saps the film of much power in it's main thread of father-son dynamics. Newman is grossly underutilized too.

I enjoyed it much more than American Beauty, which I felt was too affected and full of itself, though technically an outstanding work it never connected with me as either a comedy, drama, or satire and I tried it on all those levels.
Perdition also has a very affected tone. One instance is the operatic shootout in the street would be more at home in a John Woo film. (On a side note, what might he have done with the duality in Perdition?) It's not trying to be ironic or snarky like American Beauty, and I can understand why that can be offputting. Perdition is more earnest, which isn't bad in and of itself. I never connected with it because the characters are often little more than mice running through a maze. It's enjoyable to follow them, but there isn't much emotional connection.

Road to Perdition is a handsome production with the gloss of excellence. It looks better playing side-by-side with Men in Black II and Scooby Doo. (I think many would be underwhelmed if this had been released in the thick of November and December.) In my eyes Perdition lacks the thematic and emotional punch to push it into great territory. It's a good film with a strong pedigree.
 

Patrick Sun

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I concur because it's really hard to invest yourself in the character of Mike Sullivan (Tom Hank's character). He and others get what they deserve, but it doesn't make for even tragic drama in a thematic sense, so I think that's why I had a strange time "rooting" for him and his son to stick it to the crime bosses of Chicago (I swear, parts of the 2nd act are too light given the situation facing the Sullivans, I think it was a directorial mis-step). Don't get me wrong, the production values and the film-shooting aspect are of high caliber, but there is an emotional disconnect for me and the characters in this film.

One question, (Spoiler!) what does Mike buy when he does away with the Rooneys? Does he supposedly get the rest of the Chicago mob off his back or just retribution since John would not turn from his son, Connor (I assumed that Nitty was speaking with Sullivan on the phone in his last scene)? Was Nitty late in reeling in Jude Law's character? (I saw the ending coming from a mile away, both aspects of it, because that is what the audience would have wanted to see, plus if you remember the opening scene, it came full circle rather predictably).
 

Edwin Pereyra

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Road To Perdition comes up very short to being a character piece. It’s fairly lightweight material with a very big budget to make everything else in the film look good. And it shows. It’s pretty to look at but not much to ponder upon at its core. When you peel away its production values, there is a certain emptiness at its heart that is revealed.
~Edwin
 

Edwin Pereyra

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Road To Perdition is not a plot driven film and as such comments about its predictability is puzzling. It is supposed to be predictable. The opening shots set the tone for the entire film and gives away its ending. If anyone cannot figure out what is going to happen from the first few shots of the film one has obviously turned off his/her brain. ;)
Much like an autobiographical film, the ending is already known. One knows who the good guys are and the bad guys and who are going to live and die. There is no need to figure out these things as it just unfolds in front of your very eyes. It is the journey then that matters.
If predictability is a big issue to some of you, I wonder then why the predictability of Star Wars: Episodes 1 – 3 don’t bother you? ;)
~Edwin
 

Chris Dugger

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It's amazing the high marks this film gets.

Although not bad, it's just didn't deliver to me.

I never felt for the HANKS character. He just didn't have me rooting for him.

Paul Newman didn't get enough screentime. Same goes for Jude Law.

The Music is the same beat music from AMERICAN BEAUTY. The pacing and cinematography is the same....

Although not a complete waste of time, it wasn't the best picture of the year everyone says it is... CRIKEY, the review thread has everyone claiming 4- 5 stars and it being the best thing out this year.

Dugger
 

Patrick Sun

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Well, if the character don't do it for you, then the plot had better be good enough to capture your attention all the way through, or you'll be bored. Since #1 wasn't achieve sufficiently for me, the predictability of the plot hampered my enjoyment of the film even more.

I simply wanted Mike Sullivan to just disappear. That's how much I didn't care about the plight of him or his son.
 

Robert Crawford

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Patrick,
What Michael bought was not having to fight through the whole Capone gang to get to that piece of a shit son. Also, making peace with Capone's outfight would ensure them not coming after his son. Furthermore, the final events of the film took place in less than a day and coupled that with the possibility that Law probably was staked out at Michael's sister-in-law for days on end, it was still 1931, not exactly the instant communication era that we have today.



Crawdaddy
 

Robert Crawford

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Judging by the reaction of the audience that I was a part of and my own thoughts on this matter, why do I get a feeling you're in minority when it comes to such feelings? But, hey that's why the human race is so complex because we perceive and feel situations so differently at times.




Crawdaddy
 

Robert Crawford

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Edwin,
You've made some excellent points on the predictability and I totally concurred with your point of view! Now, if I only can get you to amend your thoughts about "The Searchers".;)
Crawdaddy
 

Dan Brecher

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I did a little review of the score CD over in the music forum. I dont agree with the above comment on it being on the same beat as American Beauty, which was largly procussion based with Newmans typical use of strings here and there.
If you HAVE to compare it to any of Newman's past work, Shawshank Redemption is the closest. Both scores raise the the same feelings in tone, similar emotions, but that's not to say Perdition's score is a re-hash of Shawshanks... far FAR from it. Glad to see Crawdaddy state in his review his love for the score, I think it's typical Tom Newman brilliance, it's what he does best. My two pence on the score CD, a simple review of sorts, can be found here.
I don't want to read this thread too much, as the film does not open here until August or September. I do believe it is right up my street, just my cup of tea if you will, and I truly can not wait to see it.
Dan
 

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