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Final 'Perdition'
Drop the balloons, start throwing the confetti and open the champagne bottles. It's over. We did it, 15 script reviews in 23 days. I hope you enjoyed it, because we sure did. Now if you allow me, I'm taking a break for a while from script reviewing. Cya next week...
'Road to Perdition' script review
"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Sure I could spin you a tale about scooping this script but the fact is, I'm only reviewing it because 'Agent Payne' is too busy to do it himself. So give him the credit for getting it into my clutches.
The Road to Perdition is a script by David Self (Thirteen Days) and is based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard P. Rayner. I have heard wondrous tales of said graphic novel but I've never perused it myself so I can't comment on it's famed genius. I have read Self's script and if it is any indication of the graphic novel's quality then it must be amongst the all time greats. This script was a true pleasure to read and I now have very high hopes for the movie. It has a stellar cast that includes Tom Hanks, Stanley Tucci, Paul Newman, Alfred Molina, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law. And just to top it off the whole thing is in the very capable hands of director Sam Mendes (American Beauty).
The story takes place in the winter of 1930 in Rock Island, Illinois. The area is controlled by the Irish gangster John Looney (Newman). His right hand men are his son Connor (Daniel Craig) and Michael O'Sullivan (Hanks), aka The Angel. O'Sullivan is a hitman of such sterling reputation that grown men blanche in fear at the mere mention of his name.
Suddenly O'Sullivan finds himself on the outs and an attempt is made on his life. He survives but upon returning home finds his wife and one of his sons murdered. His other son escaped but is now very much in danger. O'Sullivan takes it upon himself to avenge their deaths by just about any means necessary. Now in brief like this the story doesn't sound like anything remarkable or terribly original. What makes it work so well is the depth of O'Sullivan's character and his relationship with his surviving son Michael Jr.
Possibly the hardest thing about reading this script for me was imagining Hanks as this hitman. It calls for some astounding physical feats that we have never seen the likes of from Hanks previously. Of course that is also part of the appeal of that particular piece of casting. We'll really get the opportunity to see something new from him if it can be pulled off convincingly. At the same time though, this is a really meaty part for Hanks to sink his teeth into. O'Sullivan is a hitman but is also paradoxically a good and decent man. A family man. He cares more about his wife and kids than anything else in the world. He is also a very religious man. He clings to the Catholic practice of confession as his soul's lifeline. He knows murder is wrong but believes almost desperately that the confessional absolves him of his sins.
I really cannot recall a hitman character so finely drawn before. When set loose in his profession he is like a machine. The Angel is a lightning fast, precise killer who seemingly anticipates his victims' moves before they themselves do. But when he isn't working O'Sullivan is a gentle and kind man with a firm moral background. The conflict between those morals and his work is always hurting him. Even harder on him is his son's knowledge of his profession.
The bulk of the movie is a cat and mouse game between the Angel and those who murdered his family. There are carefully developed alliances that involve Al Capone in the story as well. While O'Sullivan tracks his prey, he is simultaneously being tracked by an assassin known as The Reporter (Jude Law). This is a killer every bit as lethal as the Angel. He's not as physically dangerous but he is the far superior hunter. He doggedly pursues O'Sullivan, who is slowly unraveling the reason for the sudden shift in how gangs are doing business.
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| Photo from DreamWorks Fansite |
My complaints with the script are fairly minor. I would have appreciated a slightly deeper understanding of the motivations of the movie's villains. It's not that I couldn't understand their motivations. Instead I felt as if I was looking at them through gauze. I could see everything, it was just cloudy. It wouldn't take much work at all to sharpen the view just a hair. The only other complaint is with the ending which was a bit predictable. But having said that I have to acknowledge that the ending unfolds very smoothly and without any problems. It was just a hair too easy to see coming. These are really minor complaints though and could easily be massaged out during filming.
Overall though, I truly enjoyed this script. The characters are beautifully drawn and the evolving relationship between O'Sullivan and his son is excellent. If Hanks can pull off the required action I think this movie will be a real treat."
(Review submitted by 'Lester S. Livermore.')
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Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
