Road to Perdition is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by David Self, based on the first volume of the DC Comics graphic novel series of the same name by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner.

It stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman (in his final live-action theatrical film role), Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci and Daniel Craig.

Set in 1931 during the Great Depression, the film follows a mob enforcer and his son as they seek vengeance against the mobster who murdered the rest of their family.

Rooney, listening next door with Connor, reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch freelance killer Harlen Maguire to kill Sullivan.

Shortly afterward, Spielberg set up the project at his studio DreamWorks, though he did not pursue the film's direction due to his full slate.

The screenplay was then rewritten by uncredited writers, distancing the script from the graphic novel but leaving the core elements of the story intact.

[4] Hanks and cinematographer Conrad Hall requested Mendes to limit violence in the film to meaningful acts rather than gratuitous carnage.

[6] The actor prepared by requesting Frank McCourt, the Irish-American author of Angela's Ashes, to record a tape of his voice.

[5] David Self, who created the Maguire character, explained, "He gets so jaded from exposure to this world, he steps over the line from being the storyteller to being the story maker.

"[9] To capture the "seedy countenance" of the character, Jude Law was given a sallow skin tone that reflected the wear from working in a darkroom.

However, attracted by the prospect of working with Mendes, the actor accepted the role of Nitti, a real-life Mob boss from Chicago.

The availability of an inside location provided the crew complete control over the lighting environment, which was established with the rigging of scaffoldings.

[19] Atmospherically, the landscape is a violent and magnificent canvas on which is told a mythic story of a father and son in the last period of lawlessness in American history.

Mendes considered the usage of bleak weather conditions and the intended coldness of Gassner's exterior locations to define the characters' emotional states.

Pullman became a key location to reflect this theme, having several settings, including the town's historic Florence Hotel, easily redressed by the crew for the film.

Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall sought to convey similar atmospheric lighting for the film's scenes, applying a "less is more" mantra.

Sullivan, who chooses his violent path early on in life, considers himself irredeemable and seeks to save his son from a similar fate.

When Sullivan is faced with the consequences, Hanks says, "At the moment we're dropped into the story, it is literally the last day of that false perspective.

Connor is jealous of his father's relationship with Sullivan, which fuels his actions, ultimately causing a domino effect that drives the film.

It was developed after research for the wake scene at the beginning of the film informed the director that corpses were kept on ice in the 1930s to keep bodies from decomposing.

The DVD's features included an audio commentary, deleted scenes, an HBO "Making of" documentary, and a photo gallery.

[28] Road to Perdition opened in 1,798 theaters in its debut weekend, competing against several other new releases, including Reign of Fire, Halloween: Resurrection and The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

[1] Road to Perdition received positive reviews from critics, with Conrad L. Hall's cinematography, the production design, and the lead performances of Hanks and Newman being praised.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons.

"[31] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

"[34] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised Hanks, Newman, and Craig but called Law's performance "almost cartoonish".

[35] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also complimented Hanks and Newman: "[They] act together with the confidence of titans, their talents in the service of character, never star ego."

[36] Paul Clinton of CNN said: "While these deeply human issues are touched upon, they're never fully explored, and that undermines the sense of greatness to which this movie obviously aspires."

[39] Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution enjoyed the film's cinematography, Depression-era setting, and the performances of Hanks and Newman.

[40] Eric Harrison of the Houston Chronicle considered Road to Perdition "the most brilliant work in this [gangster] genre" since the uncut Once Upon a Time in America (1984).