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Category:    Home > Reviews > Gangster > Classical Gangster > Road To Perdition (DTS Widescreen)

Road to Perdition (DTS Widescreen)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: A     Extras: B     Film: A-

 

 

There is a moment in the last half hour of Road to Perdition that sums of the entire film.  The entire structure of this film is built around this core moment when Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) and his son Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) have a chat after the boy had a bad dream.  His father is a professional hitman, who has done numerous jobs for the crime boss John Rooney (Paul Newman).  Although John was always a father figure for Michael, there is always a small amount of betrayal when it comes to family loyalty.  Michael and Michael Jr. are on the run, but at the same time they are seeking revenge.  Their talk involves why Michael Jr. always seemed to be the neglected son versus Michaels other boy, Peter.  Michael explains that he never meant to choose favorites, but saw that this boy was becoming just like him.  Because he was a lot like him, he distances himself from the boy because he did not want him to be anything like him.  He did not want him to follow in his footsteps, but rather wanted a bright future for his boy.

 

This father/son bond is always a subplot in most gangster-genre films, but is never quite explored in the same way it is here in Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition.  Mendes became a top director after his Academy Award Winning debut film American Beauty (1999).  Since then he went on to do the show Six Feet Under for HBO, which also became a hit.  It would seem that Mendes is quite capable of doing projects like this despite not having near the credentials as some other top directors in the field.  More importantly is the fact that this film has so many things going for it that it cannot fail.  The story is based on the graphic novel from Max Allan Collins, who wrote and directed the Mommy and Mommy II films from the mid 90’s.  Collins has an amazing talent for writing sharp stories that penetrate the viewer with excitement around every corner.

 

One underlying theme from this film though, which is quite articulate is that even bad men, or men who do bad things, still have some sense or morals when it comes to their family.  They see the evil that they do; yet they try to interfere with passing that tradition on.  In most cases gangster films turn into pointless bloodbaths, which only swell the viewer’s interpretation that these bad men are heroes.  This is the biggest problem with De Palma’s Scarface (1983).  Michael Sullivan is more like an anti-hero, who attempts to make a brighter future for his son.  What is so brilliant about this film is that there is very little back-story given and it immediately jumps into a funeral scene, where lots of family and guests are gathered.  Without much dialogue we quickly gain an understanding of what is going on in a way that is comparable to the opening scene from The Godfather, in which most of the characters are introduced from the beginning during a wedding.  With quick direction in both of Road to Perdition and The Godfather we sense what is going on and we recognize through the acting the relationships.  This will be a benefiting factor later in the film as we see these characters unravel. 

 

Not only do we have a strong storyline built already, but add to that the acting skills of Tom Hanks, who received a lot of slack for taking on a gangster instead of his typical lovable characters.  Indeed, this is one of Hanks more serious roles, but he plays the part to perfection.  Despite being older and not really getting many roles in his later years, Paul Newman was a perfect candidate for the aging crime boss.  Jude Law plays Maguire, a photographer/hitman, who also happens to have a real thirst for shooting people…with his gun and camera!  This is certainly a good role to get him back on track after being involved with a project like Spielberg’s A.I.  Even some of the more minor characters such as Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Daniel Craig offer fine performances that only make this entire production more valuable. 

 

Fox/DreamWorks decided to release Road to Perdition in two separate versions.  One with Dolby Digital 5.1 only, while the other would include Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, which was not a smart move on their behalf.  Why they felt that two separate versions had to be made is beyond ones imagination.  The only other difference between these two is that the DTS version lacks the HBO “making of” supplement.  This was most likely rejected from this version in order to concentrate more information on the disc to the higher bit rate DTS.  What would have been the ideal situation though would have been to release this film as a 2-disc edition, rather than two separate versions (three if you consider the full-frame version).  A nice 2 disc edition could present the film both widescreen and full-frame, as well as both Dolby Digital and DTS. 

 

Unfortunately that decision was not made, so we are left deciding to buy either the DTS version or the Dolby Digital version.  Hands down the DTS version is the winner, despite not including that HBO extra.  Those really interested can rent the Dolby version and watch the brief segment and get it out of their system.  What you cannot shake from your system though is this amazing DTS soundtrack that makes this a must-have!  Since we have both the Dolby and the DTS on this disc we can make an A/B comparison to demonstrate the difference between the two.  Even when the Dolby is turned up in order to try and compensate some of the signal loss, it nowhere near matches the amount of fullness, richness, and fidelity of the DTS track.  The refinement within this mix is one of the best to date!  The music is casually spread through the multi-channel sound field, with a large amount of low-end aggression that comes sweeping from below during intense moments. 

 

State-of-the-art sound design only adds to the experience of a film.  Compare this film to that of the The Godfather (1971) to Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and Millers Crossing (1990); three films from three different decades, which all contain similar subject matter, yet yield different results based on technologies and advancement in sound.  Road to Perdition is a prime example of how an effective soundtrack can still be naturalistic, yet fueled with enough punch to engage the viewer during scenes with more commotion or activity.  We are now in an era when movies are already thinking ahead in terms of DVD and home viewing, so that the film is designed with a multi-channel mindset.  The only problem with this is that weaker films try to overdo the sound design in order to ‘thrill’ the viewer, but lose the focus.  Or as the case with films like Fast and the Furious, the music soundtrack is pumped up and mis-cued that it makes little sense and is only there in an attempt to distract the viewer from a relatively weak mise-en-scene.

 

Thomas Newman’s score is certainly one of his best since Meet Joe Black (1998) followed the following year with another great atmospheric arrangement on American Beauty.  Newman has a skill for knowing when to make his arrangements peaceful and melodic or when to be somewhat brighter and more uplifting.  His recent work on Finding Nemo (2003) is a perfect example of how Newman captures each on screen detail with instrumentations that are fitting and are a character unto their own.  Note for example the scene in which Michael is trying to teach his son how to drive the car, which back then was only a clutch.  The music becomes cheery and relaxed, followed by a few well-constructed montages of bank holdups.  The soundtrack never undermines what is taken place, nor does it try to overpower the activity.  It simply rests with the characters. 

 

The anamorphically-enhanced 2.35 X 1 picture shot by the late Conrad L. Hall A.S.C. is nothing short of a visual accomplishment in every aspect.  Although his last film, this is certainly one of Hall’s best achievements.  Hall was also responsible for the articulate work on American Beauty, which also won for best Cinematographer, as did Road to Perdition; both films deservedly so, even though Road to Perdition had some stiff competition up against Gangs of New York and Chicago.  What most people forget (including critics) is that its not the set designs or the costumes that necessarily make an authentic looking period piece, but it is the way in which the subjects are photographed, lit, and most importantly how they are motivated directionally.  Mendes has a keen sense of direction, which is only further enhanced by Hall’s brilliant use of lens’s and camera angles in order to flatten out certain scenes or use more depth of field, not to mention the intelligent color palette displayed. 

 

Road to Perdition was shot with Panavision cameras and lenses, but used Super 35 for the printed format, with Kodak Vision Premier, which would be the same used on Spielberg’s Minority Report (2002).  The results work much better for Road to Perdition, and add to the mood of the film.  Hall always managed to find a new way in which to interpret a genre, while at the same time staying with the look and feel from that genre.  This can be seen in his work on Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Day of the Locust (1975), Marathon Man 1975), and even more recently with Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). 

 

None of Hall’s films involve sweeping camera moves or fancy trick photographer.  They are simply shot, with a true passion for framing characters to play before the camera and capture the essence of the scene rather than try and make the camera do all the work.  Actors should play out before the camera, not the other way around.  When you watch a film shot by Conrad Hall you are immediately grabbed by the action.  You feel the rays of the sun peaking in through a window, or the bitter raindrops falling from the sky.  You instantly can feel a certain atmosphere and temperature of each room as the camera sneaks through as if it was not there.  Hall will surely be missed, but ended truly on a high note. 

 

There is very little negative to say about a film such as this.  There is even less to say about this incredible DTS edition that simply begs for attention.  In terms of naturalness within the soundtrack this is by far one of the best DVD’s to own alongside Meet Joe Black: Ultimate Edition, The Patriot Superbit Deluxe, or The Red Violin.  The commentary for Road to Perdition is provided by Mendes, who does an admirable job keeping the viewer/listener interested in what he has to say about each scene.  It never becomes dull or dry and is similar to the commentary he provided for American Beauty.  There are a handful of deleted scenes, which can be accessed with or without Mendes’s commentary.  Unlike most deleted scenes, it appears that all of these cut scenes were truly intended on being in the film, such as the scene with Al Capone, who ended up never being shown in the film.  Awesome film, awesome DVD, what more can be said?

 

 

-   Nate Goss


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