I have never been a fan of mob movies, though I am fan of Tom Hanks who tends to choose good, dramatic movies about interesting people. So, I was ambivalent about seeing Road to Perdition. Could Hanks make a hit man a morally interesting person? Would the picture cherry-coat and glorify the life of a mob man? I was not that interested in seeing a movie about one's road to "eternal damnation"—which is the definition of "Perdition."

Based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Rayner, Road to Perdition takes place in a world where "business" is done late at night in dark alleys and abandoned buildings. Hanks and his fellow mobsters are oblivious to the down pouring rain which runs off the brims of their hats like a rushing gutter and sops their dark trench coats. The cinematography, the production design, the costumes are no accident—they all work to set the ominous mood of a 1931 mob-run universe.

The movie shows not just one man, but an entire culture of mobsters who are on their roads to perdition. The characters themselves recognize this, stating it plainly in many scenes. It is a road they have fully embraced and consciously chosen.

Concepts like "honor" and "loyalty" are defined by one's allegiance to the Mob, and Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is no different. He is the right-hand man to mob-boss John Rooney, played by Paul Newman. But when Sullivan's family is attacked, he is forced to question his loyalties and make a choice—to which "family" will he be loyal?

But the story is ultimately about Sullivan's 12-year-old son Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). He has been "protected" by his parents. His father is a stranger to him. His mother is an accomplice. Both parents justify Sullivan's "career" because it's what has put food on their table and kept their family alive. The parents try to maintain their children's innocence in a world of corruption.

When Sullivan Jr. learns who his father truly is, he wants nothing to do with him. But a twist of events and the need for survival forces him to team up with him in a profession he loathes. Now Sullivan Jr. is fully exposed to the evil world around him, and must struggle—with the help of his father who doesn't want his son to repeat his own mistakes—to live a moral life.

The pace of the film is slow and methodical—sometimes too slow. After 15 minutes into the movie you wonder when something is going to happen. Soon, though, the waiting is over and the build up pays off as a well-plotted story with excellently constructed dramatic conflict unfurls before your eyes.

Hanks and Newman both give outstanding performances. In the beginning of the movie, newcomer Hoechlin acquits himself well, though there are a couple of scenes later in the movie where his acting seems somewhat awkward. Jude Law's performance as a balding hit man with rotting teeth—a man who reeks of death—is executed perfectly.

The theme of fathers and sons runs throughout the picture, and anyone who was raised by an imperfect father will be able to relate to it.

Despite the picture's pace being too slow in certain areas, Road to Perdition has an outstanding cast, beautiful production values, and—most importantly—a well-told story. Sean Saulsbury