Maybe it’s his popularity, but it’s easy to overlook how talented of an actor Tom Hanks really is. I know I did. For whatever the reason, I hadn’t realized just how good he is until Cast Away. Toward the end of the film, after his character has safely made it home, there’s a scene where he goes to the home of his former fianc?e, who’s now married and has a child. The dialogue is relatively sparse, but the scene crackles, largely because of Hanks. He conveys the inner turmoil of this man just by the look on his face and his body language. He has the look of someone desperately trying to keep it together. It was a breathtaking performance that I won’t soon forget.
In his latest film, Road to Perdition, Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a Prohibition-era enforcer for Irish mobster John Rooney (Paul Newman). The two have an intimate bond, partly because Rooney looked after the fatherless Sullivan like a son. Rooney’s own son Connor (Daniel Craig) is a loose cannon who envies the relationship between Sullivan and his father. It isn’t hard to see that this is going to spell trouble for Sullivan and his family, and pretty soon Sullivan and his young son, Michael Jr.(Tyler Hoechlin), are on the run for their lives.
Though Hanks struggles mightily, the limitations of the film largely defeat him. Sullivan’s a killer; he’s a father who protects his son. That’s about it. The inner life Hanks so effectively conveyed in that scene in Cast Away is hardly in evidence here. As a result, it’s tough to get a sense of what, if anything, is going on beneath that stony surface of his. Newman, on the other hand, transcends the limitations of his role. (Is that a surprise?) Though he’s on the screen for a scant 20 minutes, he captures the essence of someone who’s under no illusions of the life he has chosen. (In a pivotal scene in a church basement, Rooney berates Sullivan: “Open your eyes, Michael! There are only murderers in this room.”)
Perdition is Sam Mendes’ second directorial effort; his first was the overrated American Beauty. Here he seems more interested in crafting poetically choreographed scenes than developing crisp characterizations or a fully realized story. To be sure, there are some exquisitely executed sequences. (Several scenes brought to mind images that wouldn’t be out of place in an Edward Hopper painting.) It helps that Mendes has Conrad Hall as his cinematographer once again, and he surely deserves much of the credit. (Hall won an Oscar for his work on American Beauty; don’t be surprised if he also wins for Perdition.)
Some giddy critics have compared Perdition to The Godfather. This is misplaced on several counts; a more apt one would be to Miller’s Crossing. If you haven’t seen that film, do yourself a favor and rent it. Then go see Perdition, if only for the cinematography and the privilege of seeing Newman once again. But, please, don’t believe the hype.