From its opening moments –
hell, from its poster – PERIDITION has "and the Oscar goes to" hype
written all over it. Tom Hanks (annointed
as best actor of our generation) breaks
with his good guy typecasting as Michael
Sullivan, a mob enforcer out to avenge the
murder of his wife and kid. Paul Newman
(often regarded as the best thespian of
his generation) brings his acting chops
to the table as the gruff but lovable patriarch
of Chicago's mob scene.
For good measure we toss in
Stanley Tucci (as Capone lieutenant Frank
Nitti), Jude Law (portraying a crime scene
shutterbug/hitman for hire), direction from
Sam Mendes (who carted off a few Oscars
with the overrated AMERICAN BEAUTY) and
a source "graphic novel" by tireless
crime scribe Max Allan Collins.
So why did I find watching
this admittedly well-crafted flick such
a tiring and joyless affair?
The biggest problem I had
with PERDITION was Hanks, an actor I become
more fond of as time goes on. Here, though,
I don't buy him for a second as an enforcer
whose very name causes other hoods to shudder.
He looks puffy, not pumped, and I couldn't
accept my former bosom buddy as a criminal
driven by vengeance. I'd rather have seen
MANHUNTER's William Petersen in the role.
His performance in that flick is the epitome
of a man out to protect his family, at whatever
cost. And he might've been able to carry
off the scruffy moustache with more panache.
Newman comes off a bit more
believable as John Rooney, the aging head
of a crime family saddled with a blood son
(future Bond star Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney) who will
never mean to him what Hanks' Sullivan does.
It's unfortunate the two stars don't have
more screen time together.
In typical fashion, critics
and film fans have been tossing around accolades
that suggest the flick is on a level with
such spectacular crime/family dramas as
THE GODFATHER I and II. One wonders if such
high praise would be trotted out if current
cinema wasn't so damned mediocre.
ROAD TO PERDITION may be great
on paper, but its on-screen execution left
me cold.
