Road to Perdition

reviewed by Dave

Fargo. Titanic. American Beauty. And now, Road to Perdition.

If you didn't know better, you'd probably think I was talking about my favorite movies, but you'd be very wrong.

I am, in fact, referring to my list of the most overrated movies in recent years. There have been a lot of times when I've disagreed with other film critics, but these specific films all have something in common: the Oscar.

It's been out three days, but Road to Perdition already has huge Oscar buzz, despite it being only July. My question is, what would it win an Oscar for?

Best screenplay? If you were impressed with the pseudo-depth of American Beauty, perhaps you'll be equally impressed with the slow-as-molasses plot of The Road to Perdition. From the sluggish first half to the obvious ending, there's nothing original to this story, or the way it's told.

Best Director? Hardly. Sam Mendes is so busy trying to prove there's some deep meaning to what's going on that he's completely overlooked the fact that movies are meant to engage, if not entertain, the viewer. He keeps the characters at arm's length (surprising after American Beauty), and the pacing is just too slow to hold any interest. If the audience in a nearly-sold out auditorium is all fidgeting from boredom, you don't deserve a best director award.

Best Actor? It's no news that Tom Hanks is who you cast if you want to at least guarantee a couple Oscar nominations. I've seen most of his films, and it's not that he's bad in Road to Perdition, it's just that he doesn't turn in an Oscar-worthy performance.

Best Supporting Actor? I don't think Paul Newman really deserves it, but he's my bet for Best Supporting Actor. It's the standard old guy token Oscar that we've seen since Tommy Lee Jones won the category for The Fugitive. Newman's performance is adequate, but it isn't anything really special.

So there you have it. I didn't enjoy Road to Perdition simply because it failed to engage and/or entertain me. But beyond that, in retrospect, what I really hate about this movie is that it reeks of something crafted simply to win awards. Tom Hanks is the Oscar golden boy, Paul Newman is the old guy in what could be his last role (he's old enough, so you never know), Sam Mendes is the director that critics love fawning over, and it's even a period movie to boot.

But the bottom line is that despite the outward trappings, Road to Perdition has no soul and is just plain boring - so much so that if Jaime and I had talked to each other about half way through, we would have walked out because we were both wishing we could go sneak into a different movie.