A lot was made of the fact that Tom Hanks (BIG) has playing a mean-as-nails assassin. Well, in reality he's the softest mean-as-nails assassin I've ever seen. Maybe because it's Hanks you just can't buy him as cold-blooded, but I've seen a lot more intimidating killers than Michael Sullivan. I'm not saying that Hanks was bad, I just don't think that he comes off as mean as the film wanted him to be.
The story is a simple revenge flick, which has Sullivan gunning for the killer of his family, who happens to be the son of the top gangster, John Rooney (Paul Newman, THE STING). Rooney is like an adopted father to Sullivan. Rooney even loves Sullivan more than his own son Connor (Daniel Craig, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER). This situation creates bad blood and, following Sullivan's oldest son Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin, TRAIN QUEST) witnessing a murder, leads to the slaughter of Sullivan's family.
Paralleling the Rooney, Connor, Sullivan relationship is the one between Sullivan and his sons. Sullivan is warmer to Peter because he's less like him. It's the father/son relationships that give this film its emotional weight. The most memorable character was Maguire, played wonderfully by Jude Law (TALENTED MR. RIPLEY). He's an assassin who supplements his income by taking crime scene photos of the men he kills.
Though I criticized Hanks performance at the start, he doesn't undermine the film. His cold demeanor creates an adequate distance between him and his son and the dramatic dynamic is strong enough to quell any qualms one might have with Hanks as a heartless killer. The film weaves several archetypal stories -- revenge, coming-of-age, gangster -- together. It's origins as a graphic novel, where archetypes and stunning visuals are often explored, is represented well here. The plot is familiar; it's how it's brought to life that's refreshing.
Besides the solid performances and characters, the real star is the cinematography by the late Conrad Hall, who shot AMERICAN BEAUTY and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. He's a legend who will be missed. Where the story lacks in originality, the visuals sure make up. PERDITION is a great example of style lifting up the content to another level. Director Sam Mendes brought a signature visual style to AMERICAN BEAUTY as well. It will be interesting to see how his films look now that he has lost his collaborator Hall. This is definitely a visual treat that paints a moody morality tale that's quite entertaining.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
