Road to Perdition

"Pray for Michael Sullivan."

2002 1h 57m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

82%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 4,141🍅82%Rotten Tomatoes●72Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 296,515

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

“Pray for Michael Sullivan.”

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Cast

Tom Hanks
Michael Sullivan
Paul Newman
John Rooney
Jude Law
Harlen Maguire
Tyler Hoechlin
Michael Sullivan, Jr.
Daniel Craig
Connor Rooney
Stanley Tucci
Frank Nitti
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Annie Sullivan
Liam Aiken
Peter Sullivan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: David Self
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sam Mendes, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jill Bilcock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Hanks and Paul Newman and Jude Law carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Pray for Michael Sullivan.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0257044 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sam Mendes directs. Conrad Hall behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Jill Bilcock cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Directed by Sam Mendes, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jill Bilcock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tom Hanks and Paul Newman and Jude Law carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Pray for Michael Sullivan.".
8IMDB entry: tt0257044 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 22 themes, including "hotel", "farm", "hitman", "illinois".

The technical file

Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Jill Bilcock
Production design: Dennis Gassner
Costume design: Albert Wolsky
Makeup / hair: Kathryn Blondell
VFX supervisor: Michael L. Fink
Sound: Bob Beemer
Stunt coordinator: Doug Coleman
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $181,001,478
Return: 226% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Road to Perdition (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 72/100
IMDB rating: 7.6/10 · 296,515 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 23 wins & 82 nominations total

American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sam Mendes

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Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-07-10
★ 8/10
Damnation Alleyway. When his son witnesses him enacting a hit, mob enforcer Michael Sullivan finds that the man whom he likened to a father has ordered a hit on him and his family. Too late to save his wife and youngest child, Sullivan goes on the run with his eldest boy and plots revenge along the way. How refreshing to find a gangster movie in the modern age, more so, how refreshing to find a gangster movie set in the early 1930s and not involving foul mouthed Mafioso types. Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig and Jude Law, Road To Perdition is an adaptation of the Graphic Novel that was brought to us by Max Allan Collins & Richard Piers Rayner. The film deals with themes of violence and its consequences and fathers and sons, set to a watery back drop during the Great Depression. It's also a pulse pinging treat of visual magnificence thanks to cinematographer Conrad L. Hall (his last film before he passed away). Comparisons with great gangster film's of the past are inevitable, but Mendes' film has more in common with something like "Eastwood's Unforgiven" and "John Ford's The Searchers", the journey of the lead protagonist is fraught and telling, and motivated by circumstance. Yet the trick for first time viewers that Road To Perdition has up its sleeve, is that we don't know how it will work out for Hanks' Sullivan. It makes for a riveting experience with many transcendent rewards along the way. As regards the cast, Hanks is a touch miscast, but his play off relationship with the quite terrific Newman gives the film some solid ground from which to launch the sombre story. Daniel Craig does a nifty line in weasel and Law convinces as a mouldy toothed hired killer who enjoys taking photographs of his victims. Pic has almost philosophical mediations on good and bad, and it's elegiacally drawn by Mendes. The melancholic mood is enhanced by Thomas Newman's musical score, where he reworks his "Shawshank Redemption" score for narrative tightness. The film thrives as a poetic and atmospheric piece. The story might be basic, but it manages to rise above that because it be a superbly directed and well acted picture. One that just happens to be beautiful in spite of the bleakness that lingers on the main protagonist and the journey he undertakes. 8/10
The Movie Mob2022-08-19
★ 4/10
Overall : With so much going for it, The Road to Perdition is surprisingly disappointing. After hearing Road to Perdition referred to as a classic multiple times, I was interested. Then seeing that it boasted a cast of Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, and Stanley Tucci and that Sam Mendes directed it, I was even more intrigued. Finally, after seeing the trailer and its promise of some cool action scenes, I was excited to watch this movie! But sadly, The Road to Perdition greatly disappointed. I will be honest and say that this isn’t a typical movie I enjoy, but the film was long and very slow. The action scenes were few and far between, with almost every second of action showcased in the trailers. The ending didn’t surprise and left me even more frustrated as I watched the entire film. Not a fan.
Peter McGinn2023-03-12
★ 7/10
One should bear in mind that this is basically a mafia movie. I say that because it is presented almost as a dramatic coming of age story, which implies a different sort of story altogether. I mean, there is the coming of age element to it, but it is a brutal, violent film true to its mafia roots. For example, father and son feature strongly throughout, with details, backgrounds and character development. Mom and the brother are more like undeveloped pawns in the story. The settings and photography are excellent, nearly worth watching the movie all by itself. I am not sure Tom Hanks is quite up to his usual high standard here, but it may be exactly what the director was looking for. I must day that once father and son stopped at a house for assistance, I knew how the movie would end, being a mini-morality tale and all, but I write novels in my spare time, so I am used to thinking about ending variations. The film would not make any of my top 10 lists, but I am glad to have watched this focused, atmospheric slice of noir.