CinemaClock Toronto

Disappointing, in my books. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I waited nearly two months to see it and all the hype and trailers had time to sink in, but this movie failed to impress me. Tom Hanks was his usual great self of course, and Paul Newman deserves an Oscar. But great acting does not make a great movie; it can only improve it a bit. Aside from the acting, the direction was terrific, Sam Mendes of American Beauty fame did a great job setting the tone and painting a realistic, convincing picture of 1930s Chicago. And I have to say that for most of the film, I was ready to rate it an 8 or a 9, but I felt the movie went absolutely nowhere. By the end, I was left unsatisfied and empty, having realized that there was no point to the movie. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Road to Perdition is based on a comic, oh sorry, a "graphic novel" which is really nothing more than a big expensive comic book aimed at the older crowd. The story seemed kind of comic bookish, especially Jude Law's character. As I was watching it, I had no trouble visualizing what the comic must have looked like. Anyways, go see it if all you care about is acting and direction, but if you want some actual substance and a plot, you may be disappointed. I think I'll try Pluto Nash or Fear Dot Com. Since everybody is relentlessly trashing them, I figure there has to be some mérit to them.

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