Road to Perdition

Cast View all

	Tom Hanks	Michael Sullivan
	Stanley Tucci	Frank Nitti
	Jude Law	Maguire
	Ciarán Hinds	Finn McGovern
	Daniel Craig	Connor Rooney
	Dylan Baker	Alexander Rance
	Jennifer Jason Leigh	Annie Sullivan
	Paul Newman	John Rooney
	Christian Stolte	Rooney's Business Associate
	Kevin Chamberlin	Frank the Bouncer
	Harry Groener	Mr. McDougal
	Tyler Hoechlin	Michael Sullivan Jr.
	Liam Aiken	Peter Sullivan
	Peggy Roeder	Farmer Virginia
	David Darlow	Jack Kelly
	Ed Kross	Young Bank Manager
	James Greene	Farmer Bill
	Doug Spinuzza	Calvino
	Kurt Naebig	Tenement Murderer
	Michael Sassone	Motel Manager
	John Judd	Rooney's Business Associate
	JoBe Cerny	Banker
	Keith Kupferer	Nitti's Henchman
	Ian Barford	Rooney's Henchman
	Mina Badie	Betty the Waitress

Crew View all

Director	Sam Mendes
Writer	Max Allan Collins, Richard Piers Rayner, David Self
Producer	Joan Bradshaw, Tara B. Cook, Cherylanne Martin, Sam Mendes, Walter F. Parkes, Dean Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck
Musician	Thomas Newman
Photography	Conrad L. Hall

Personal

Notes

Story Synopsis:
Director Sam Mendes follows his Oscar®-winning cinematic debut, "American Beauty," with a story about a Depression-era hit man. Raised and employed by an aging crime boss John Rooney (Newman)-who has connections with the likes of Al Capone-Michael Sullivan’s mysterious profession as a hit man is discovered by his eldest son, Michael, Jr. (Hoechlin). Despite promises that the boy will tell no one about what he saw, Rooney tries to wipe out the entire Sullivan clan, succeeding in only killing Sullivan’s wife and youngest son. In an effort to prevent his surviving son from following his footsteps down the "Road To Perdition," the enraged and betrayed Sullivan embarks on a quest for vengeance and his son’s salvation. Based on the graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a picture that is gorgeously stylized, with sweeping Conrad Hall cinematography and impeccable production designs by Dennis Gassner, to create the 1930s setting of the film. (This would be Hall’s final film in an illustrious career, which included such stylishly photographed films as "In Cold Blood," "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid," and "American Beauty.") Images are sharp and nicely detailed, with a good sense of depth and definition. Contrast is well balanced, and the darker scenes, with the possibility of someone lurking in the shadows, offer quite satisfying delineation. The picture has a dim nature with hues that often have a desaturated appearance that is perfectly complementary to the mood. Still, colors, like the interior of Rooney’s home, offer rich mahogany and deep reds to depict wealth. Film grain is retained in the source element, perhaps to give the picture an aged, unpolished texture. Unfortunately, edge enhancement can appear pretty blatant at times. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The 5.1-channel audio presentations have been particularly well-recorded and produced, with quite an abundance of spatiality to boot. The fidelity is certainly reflective of the current state-of-the-art. The most prominent multichannel sound element is the music, which sounds wonderful and fully engulfs the listener. Also associated with the music is a full-bodied low-end, with frequent engagement of the LFE channel. Distribution of sound effects is generally gentle to moderate in nature, yet appropriately so. This, of course, is in the absence of the dramatically heightened sequences with gunshots, which really energize the listening space and the low-end as well, with prominent LFE channel engagement. The dialogue sounds wonderful, with natural tonality and convincing spatial integration. The DTS Digital Surround version exhibits slightly more refined soundstage definition and has a little more “weight” in terms of deep bass. This is a soundtrack for which the elements are all well-produced on their own, and the final result should surely impress audiophiles and movie sound fans alike. (Perry Sun)

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Superb Cinematography
Superb Music Score Recording Quality

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