While Sherman is on the downhill slope toward the end of his animation marathon, I've decided to start a little mini-series of my own to get my movie reviewing gears grinding back up to speed. Don't let the title fool you: they definitely are comics, you just probably didn't know that when they came out.
Now, at this point you may be thinking that "Iron Man" or "The Incredible Hulk" had the best casting of any comic book movie to date, but what if such a film came out starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman and Jude Law? Look no further than "Road to Perdition."
Based on the first volume of a graphic novel series by the same name, "Road to Perdition" is the story of Irish Mob enforcer Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Hanks) told from the perspective of his son, Michael, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). Michael, Sr. has worked -- or killed people -- for John Rooney (Paul Newman) for most of his life, having also been raised by the mobster since he was orphaned at a young age. And he's very good at his job.
Unfortunately, curiosity as to the nature of his father's work gets the better of Michael, Jr. and he ends up stowing away in his father's car and witnesses Rooney's psychotic son, Conner (Daniel Graig), shoot a guy in the head. Things spiral out of control as the ultra-paranoid Conner, fearing young Michael will talk, kills Micheal, Sr's wife and younger son, Peter, mistaking him for Michael, Jr.
And so, Michael, Sr. takes his surviving son on the ensuing mission of vengeance, hoping to force the mob to give up Conner, kill him and eventually reach safe harbor in a town called Perdition. On top of that, they must evade a bizarre contract killer with a habit of photographing his victims as they die (Jude Law).
The film has this amazing flow to it. Highly visual and strangely quiet, making you pay closer attention to the dialogue and violence when it shows up. And while there obviously are several killings in the movie, it's never anything over-the-top; death is shown as an ugly thing, even though the cinematography framing it is beautiful.
There's a lot of great stuff going on here -- even the child-acting is pulled off without a hitch. And Daniel Craig plays the crazy bastard like a pro, even amongst all these huge names. Director Sam Mendes is another man who's good at his job. His film previous to "Road to Perdition" was quite good, as well. Maybe you've heard of it? A little flick called "American Beauty"?
Though I hate to admit this, I haven't actually read the "Road to Perdition" graphic novel. What can I say? I'm poor. But it comes highly recommended, as does the series it was loosely based on, a Japanese manga called "Lone Wolf and Cub" (which was made into a series of films in Japan that I've also not seen).
In an event, it's a movie that I highly recommend. And if you get really hooked in, there's plenty of source material to add to your future reading/viewing list.
And just to underline the kind of dork I am, I'd like to mention how I love the wordplay of the title, "Perdition" being both the town they hope to find sanctuary in as well as a synonym for Hell, where all these Irish Catholic mobsters are certain they'll end up; Mmmmm... layered meanings. So add that to your vocabulary, if you have some free space.
-Thad out.
June 21, 2008
They Might Be Comics: Part 1
January 22, 2008
"Charlie Wilson's War" Theatrical Review (5/5) -Richard
If Joss Whedon is Jesus Christ, that makes Aaron Sorkin God.
Charlie Wilson's war is the Cold War, specifically on the Afghani front. A Democrat Representative out of Texas, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), is a womanizer, a drunk, and seems to enjoy partaking in a little cocaine now and then. At a fundraiser, Charlie is approached by a Texas conservative debutante Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and told that he needs to do something about the Godless commies that are trying to control Afghanistan if he wants to continue receiving her monetary support.
Meanwhile, CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets reprimanded in his boss's office and is assigned to the CIA's task force on Afghanistan.
Once the three meet up a plan is hatched to smuggle weapons through Israel and Saudi Arabia into Afghanistan to combat the Russian Communists. A 10 million dollar budget turns into 20, then 50, and keeps on growing until the Afghanis are sufficiently armed to deal with their aggressors.
Everyone knows how the Cold War turned out. Sorkin's adaptation of George Crile's journalistic book of the same name coupled with Mike Nichols' direction just helps us to see how we got there.
Sorkin is at his best when writing politically charged storylines. I enjoyed his television work with "Sports Night" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," but his best work in my eyes will always be "The West Wing." "Charlie Wilson's War" is a return to that style of storytelling. Mike Nichols at the helm helped raise the bar to a damn near perfect movie as well. He seems to be the only person that can make Julia Roberts act. He manages to take a mediocre actress and make her turn in an Oscar worthy performance.
Hanks also shines in the movie, taking the comedy from his earlier works such as "The 'burbs" and "Bachelor Party" and mixing it with the drama portrayed in "Philadelphia" and "The Green Mile" to create a perfect mix of character.
Other cast members turned in award worthy performances as well. Amy Adams as Charlie's assistant Bonnie Batch is one of the reasons she is rocketing to stardom this year. Ned Beatty is also great the little he is on screen as Representative Doc Long. Still, every performance in this movie, even Tom Hanks', is overshadowed by Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos.
The last thing I had seen him in prior to this was his portrayal of the mild-mannered author Truman Capote. Hoffman pulled off a stunning, Oscar worthy performance in the movie. Seeing him switch gears to play the drunken, belligerent CIA agent Avrakotos was an amazing sight to see. From his entrance into his boss's office to his speech to Charlie at the end of the movie, Hoffman gives a perfect performance.
I know it is only January, but this may be one of the best movies of the year.
5 out of 5
-Richard
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