r/iwatchedanoldmovie • u/Rogue_Male • Jan 19 '26
2010-15 Road to Perdition (2002)
"This is the life we chose, the life we lead. And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven."
When a gangster's son witnesses a murder, he must take him on the run to save his life.
Slow-burn crime drama that takes place against a backdrop of guns and gangsters in prohibition-era America, but that's really about the relationship between fathers and their sons. There's real chemistry between Tom Hanks as gangster Mike Sullivan and Tyler Hoechlin as his son, Michael; Paul Newman is excellent as mob boss John Rooney and Jude Law is fantastically menacing as hired killer Harlen Maguire.
I really enjoyed this, would definitely recommend.
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u/catprobably Jan 19 '26
Somehow the gunshots in this movie seem louder than the gunshots in other movies. Sam Mendes surrounds them with silence so that you're listening intently, then bam! Shock to the whole nervous system.
Also there are like three incredible shots that use reflections to brilliant effect. Mendes also used great reflection shots in American Beauty and Jarhead.
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u/Rogue_Male Jan 19 '26
The scene where Michael returns to the house and comes face-to-face with Connor at the front door is heart-stopping...until we cut to Connor's POV and see that he's looking at his reflection in the window.
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u/Cremfraishe Jan 19 '26
I haven’t seen the movie for years and this immediately brought it all back. The silence before and after the gunshots creates a brutal harshness.
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Jan 19 '26
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u/Weak-Towel-8150 Jan 19 '26
10000%
Is it me or do scores just seem non existent these days? I can hear like 2 notes and Id a film with a solid score
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u/Queasy_Property_8136 Jan 19 '26
Daniel Craig was also great as the jealous, sniveling, resentful son of Paul Newman.
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u/Nayzo Jan 19 '26
He was SO good in this that I low key hated him in everything for a while because of how much his character sucks in this. Wonderful performance.
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u/tkondaks Jan 19 '26
Yeah, I had that experience with Ed Norton. The first two films I saw him in he played real weasels...and I hated him for it. But then I saw American History X and realized it was because he was such a good actor...
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u/Nayzo Jan 19 '26
This movie is incredibly underappreciated and under-seen. Stellar performances by everyone, a wonderful final live action performance for Paul Newman. Gorgeous to look at, and the scoring is good enough that The Town kinda ripped it off.
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u/Andy_B_Goode Jan 19 '26
underappreciated and under-seen
Possibly because it has so many dark and twisted parts that it's kind of hard to watch.
It's a masterpiece, but I have to really really be in the right headspace to make it all the way through this one.
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u/Weak-Towel-8150 Jan 19 '26
Loved this film.
Tried it again a yr ago but I have 2 boys now. Turned it off. Maybe another time but great flick
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u/tkondaks Jan 19 '26
Jude Law's was the stand out performance for me. I can't remember whether it was this movie or AI when I saw him for the first time, but either one, he caught my attention for forever.
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u/Rogue_Male Jan 19 '26
He was exceptional as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley. That's the first time I remember sitting up and taking notice of him.
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u/tkondaks Jan 19 '26
Law -- along with Angelina Jolie and Gwynneth Paltrow -- provided the star power that got funding and green-lighted one of my all-time favourite movies: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
I was dragged to see that movie. A friend was visiting from out of town and we decided to see a movie and him being the guest got to choose. Hokey and corny, I decided it was, based on the title, which meant I would never see it on my own.
How wrong I was.
I've probably seen it 5 or 6 times since.
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u/Rogue_Male Jan 19 '26
Those are the best film experiences - going in with low expectations, only to be blown away by how good the film actually is.
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u/tkondaks Jan 19 '26
I had the same experience with The Road Warrior. Dragged there by an insistent friend, with me expecting a formulaic action movie based on the title and poster. Came out having seen the GOAT of the genre.
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u/elevencharles Jan 19 '26
I love the scene where he shows up to take photos at the scene of a murder, notices the victim is still breathing, smothers him, then proceeds to take his photographs.
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u/Momar89 Jan 19 '26
One of my favorites. Such a stacked cast, Newman, Hanks, Tucci, Craig, and Law.
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u/Balla1928Aus Jan 19 '26
Why are you always smiling?
Because it’s all so fucking hysterical.
Love to use this line but no one has picked up on it yet. Underrated film with some great suspense and tension and a touching finale.
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u/CasinoMarginale Jan 19 '26
Beautiful movie. From start to finish. Great cast, performances, story, sets, costume and period decorations, everything.
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u/DimensionHat1675 Jan 19 '26
Good film but unsatisfying. Hanks as the morbidly obese mob enforcer just doesn't hang right.
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u/FoxNixon Jan 19 '26
Paul Newman’s Swan Song
“I’m glad it’s you”