An Unintended Review: Road to Perdition

I had latched on to 'Road of Perdition' at the very mention of director Sam Mendes' name, whose 'American Beauty' is one of my favourite movies. I was lucky enough to get it from the Van Pelt Library's video collection today, it having been listed as Checked Out last night, because the guy who had borrowed it happened to be in front of me in the line!

I've just finished watching the film, and while I will leave it to you to form your own opinions on the storytelling, the acting and the characters, I couldn't help being awestruck by the visual impact of the film; in particular the locales, the angles and the harmony between colours, and even more so between shades. It also helped to have a number of striking looking people in the cast, including Paul Newman, a spine-tingling Jude Law (creepy is more like it...), the craggy Daniel Craig (Pierce Brosnan's successor as Bond...James Bond!) and even the young Tyler Hoechlin as Tom Hanks' son.

As far as I know, some of the scenery in the father-son duo's drives are from the Prairies of the American Midwest (even if they aren't, who cares?), and the desolation, coupled with the stunning colours and grandly manoeuvered angles, make for an unforgettable viewing experience. Set in the winter of 1931, the quaint automobiles, oil lamps, elegant homes and refreshingly open streets (now this may not be due to the cinematographer's genius; I have a soft corner for empty streets!) provide a wonderful backdrop to the story. It also happened to be my first experience of a widescreen DVD, and I am sure I can never forgive the ordinary prints for being ordinary again!

In particular there is a street shooting scene at night, in the rain, with men in overcoats and hats, and a particular sequence in the scene of Hanks walking into the background. I think I'll try and put it on my desktop as a wallpaper, even though it means absolutely nothing, except that its visual appeal is irresistible.

Do watch the movie folks...and if you have any other tips for films with great cinematography, please do let me know. Next on my list is Clint Eastwood's 'The Bridges of Madison County'!

See you around!