REVIEW: Road to Perdition
A very confused review of the 2002 graphic novel adaptation "Road to Perdition."
By Brian VanHooker - 10/3/2012
Road to Perdition Review
by
Brian VanHooker
Turtle with Lemonade Productions
www.turtlewithleonade.com
I recently saw the 2002 Tom Hanks film "Road to Perdition" for the first time and to be honest, I cannot understand all the praise this film has received. I personally found it to be an utter disappointment.
At first, I was excited to see that Hollywood finally made a new entry into the "Road" films. I admit I was skeptical at first, with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby both being dead, I wondered how the formula would work without them. But I thought to myself "Tom Hanks is a good actor, as is Jude Law, and they likely wouldn't attach themselves to a bad film" and I also figured that it would be refreshing to see the first "Road" movie since "Road to Hong Kong" and we all know that one wasn't the strongest of the series. So, I decided to go into this film with an open mind.
As soon as I started the film, I was almost instantly discouraged.
Hanks, who I guess is filling in the Bob Hope role, was not funny at all, but rather a quiet, violent hit man. For me, this was a far too radical of a departure from the character I knew from "Road to Morocco" and the rest. What was great about Hope's character was that he never knew when to shut up! But the makers of this film have the character say almost nothing? It's an absolute mistake. Hanks doesn't even make wisecracks to the audience!
Unfortunately, Jude Law filling in for Bing Crosby was no better. First of all, we don't even meet him until half way into the movie, and when we finally do, he's trying to kill Tom Hanks! Now, the bickering of Hope and Crosby in the classic films is the real source of their humor, but having one character contracted to kill the other just takes it too far. And, worst of all, HE NEVER SINGS! In fact, there is no singing at all throughout "Road to Perdition." Not one number! It makes one wonder why the director even chose to make this film.
Really, the entire film suffers from problems like this. In place of good gags, they have violent murders and tedious plot points. With such a lack of banter between the characters, the energy of those classics is gone. No non-sequiturs with girls in bikinis, no celebrity cameos(Paul Newman doesn't count because he wasn't funny either) and again, NO SINGING! Of course, the biggest flaw of the film is it's ending ***SPOILER ALERT*** EVERYONE DIES! Leaving no room for a sequel. Why even make a "Road" movie if you don't have a half dozen more lined up to make right after it? The film makers just reintroduced this series to America, only to rip it all away again.
My advice for viewers is to just skip "Road to Perdition." It's another example of an unneeded sequel made too many years after the original (much like "The Hustler's" bizarre sequel, "Hustle and Flow"). I recommend that fans just count "Road to Hong Kong" as the final "Road" film and just forget that "Road to Perdition" was even made.
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