Road to Perdition
Sam Mendes, the director, has only directed one other movie, the Oscar winner American Beauty. While well done, it wasn't remarkable. It simply dealt with the problems a middle-class family had in a seemingly calm setting of suburbia. In the same way, Road to Perdition is well done, but it too isn't remarkable.

Tom Hanks plays a hitman, Michael Sullivan, who works for Paul Newman's Tom Rooney. Hanks' son, Michael Jr., secretly tags along one rainy night and witnesses what his father does for a living. Soon, it's decided that leaving them out there is too much of a risk, forcing Rooney to take out a hit on the elder Sullivan. As a result, the two Michaels go around the country eluding the people after them, Jude Law in particular, and cutting off the gangsters' money supply.

Hanks gives a quality performance as usual. He really shows his range here as both good guy and bad guy. He's a devoted family man who seems to have a heart until you see him shoot people in cold blood. His scene with Jude Law in the diner is really good. The action moves along at a slow, calculating pace, making it seem longer than the two hours which really pass, to let you take in each scene because each one plays a vital role in the maturation of Michael Jr. or the plans of Michael Sr. It's quite a sight to see even if it left me a little bored and tired. 3 stars