ROAD TO PERDITION [2002] Tom Hanks, Paul Newman ; Rated 15

Tom Hanks has come a long way since such family favourites like 'Big' and 'Splash' but even though he has always been part of the Hollywood A list, it is only the last few years which he has really cemented his place in movie history. 'The Green Mile' was good, but failed to really stretch his acting back to the level of 'Philadelphia', which up until now I considered to be his best film. 'Road to Perdition' however does give Hanks the opportunity to show off, and boy did he take it. His performance is absolutely perfect and without a doubt brilliant. He portrays the character of Michael Sullivan, the right hand man to crime boss John Rooney, expertly played by Newman. The long and the short of it is, Hanks' characters family, bar one, gets slaughtered and he has to try and protect his remaining son from harm whilst juggling a lust for revenge and a cunning pursuit by a hit-man photographer played by Jude Law. Sam Mendes directs with sheer class, letting the gentle humour and up-beat action sequences flow seamlessly. Every detail is there, with Mendes clearly revelling in the period locations. Hanks' character is of course the focus of the story but it is made sure that no character falls into the common trap of becoming two dimensional and dull. It is this attention to detail and of course Hanks' performance, that makes this film a no doubt masterpiece. This is the sort of cinema we want to see more of, but unfortunately a film of this calibre only comes along once every blue moon.

5/5