HOT: Road to Perdition

I bought this film when it came out on DVD, which I am guessing was in 2002, and watched it not long after. I had not watched it again. On my first viewing it just didn't grab me like most Tom Hanks films have - and so it sat in my collection unwatched until now.

After a second watch, I think I like Road to Perdition a little more than on my first watch. Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, who works for a crime lord named John Rooney (Paul Newman) - in what would pretty much be his last film before he died not as a voice actor.

Sullivan and his family, wife Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and sons Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) and Peter (Liam Aiken) have a pretty decent life living in the protection of Rooney and the money that is coming in. But, as many have found out, if you cross the Rooney family it may be the last thing you ever do.

Not quite understanding what his father does for a living, and really not having the greatest relationship with his father, Michael Jr. hides in the back of a truck one night when his father and Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), who is Rooney's son - which I am guessing may be the first time I had seen him in anything - go to talk some sense into an associate when all goes wrong and they are forced to murder him and his associates. The whole event witnessed by Michael Jr.

Sullivan promises both Connor and John that his son would never speak a word of what he saw - but Connor remains unstable and sends Sullivan on a job in order to get him killed - while going to their house to murder the rest of the family.

I have to admit, not really sure I didn't enjoy this the first time around. I really got into it much more this time. The old-time era looked great and some of the characters in the film were just great - including one I didn't mention Harlen Maguire played brilliantly by Jude Law.

Still, I can't rank this too high on the Hanks list of films, but I think it has earned the right to be in a rotation of rewatches whereas before I wouldn't have given it another look.

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38/50x2: Cool Hand Luke

Yet another Paul Newman film on the list. Besides cartoon films and some of the old classics like Wizard of Oz and Gone w/ the Wind this is probably one of the oldest movies I have seen.

And, despite the grade at the end of this - I actually enjoyed it compared to its age. I just have a hard time truly loving older films. Sure there are the occasional ones that stand out - but for the most part, they just don't really do it for me.

Cool Hand Luke is about Lucas Jackson (Newman) who has returned from the Korean War and has not really adjusted well. He is found cutting the tops off of parking meters and drunk as a skunk - for his crimes he is tossed into a a prison camp.

Once in prison he immediately gets on the bad side of the 'leader' Dragline (George Kennedy) and when allowed out in the yard the two throw down. Luke gets his butt handed to him by the much larger Dragline, but he continues to get up despite being bloodied up. For this, he earns the respect of Dragline and the other prisoners. That night he wins a poker game with a lousy hand on a bluff - and Dragline bestows upon him the nickname Cool Hand Luke.

For the most part the rest of the film is Luke and the other prisoner's life inside of the prison. What they do to pass the time, their work duties on the roads and Luke getting in trouble with the guards multiple times. Including a handful of times he tries to escape the prison.

As I said, for an older movie I enjoyed it. It was also cool to see some actors that I have come to know like Kennedy and a much younger Dennis Hopper, who played Babalugats. Before this film I was pretty naive on the films of Newman - but he is a pretty talented actor. I look forward to the few more I will check out in the future.

Grade:

17/50x2: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I just did a quick look and Paul Newman has a vast number of films on his resume, but before doing this list I had only seen three - but I have now seen two more. Before watching these movies I had only seen Slap Shot, Road to Perdition (which I've only seen once, but will be seeing it again soon in my HOT) and Cars.

The first of the two I watched was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman stars as Butch, a thief who is the leader of a small gang of crooks. He is the brains of the operation, though feared, he had never shot a man before. His partner in crime is The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), who is the crack shot of the group.

After defeating a member of his own group who was trying to take over as leader, Butch and the group decide to rob the Union Pacific Flyer, a train carrying money, twice. Once going and once coming. Their thought process was that after being robbed once, they would reload the train with even more money never expecting to be robbed a second time.

But, this backfired on the gang as too much dynamite was used exploding the safe during the second robbery and money is thrown everywhere. As the group is trying to gather as much money as possible, another train arrives with men on it protecting the money and looking to apprehend Butch and The Kid.

The rest of the film is this group tracking Butch and The Kid, and them trying to stay two-steps ahead. The two even received a normal job protecting a mining companies payroll - and when they get ambushed, Butch is forced to kill his first man. Realizing they are much better crooks, they decide to return to a life of crime.

After the theft of the payroll, they find a small town - and are finally tracked down by the men.

I didn't mind this film when I watched it, but it obviously didn't make that much of an impression on me. I had difficulty remembering a lot of what happened in the film.

I enjoyed the younger Newman and definitely Redford. They worked well together, and makes me want to consider watching The Sting as well.

I am glad I finally watched it, and if I stumbled across it I might sit and watch it again, but it's not one I would throw in the DVD player again anytime soon.

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