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Could this be? At last a "mob" movie that doesn't glamorize or preach? That's both impeccably produced yet literate and restrained? As much as there is to admire in such classics as The Godfather, or enjoy in the hip irony of The Sopranos, it's hard not to shake the idea that way deep down there somewhere, a part of the appeal of the gangster movie is that maybe, secretly, we think it's sorta-kinda cool. Not the killing and not the bloodshed, just the slicked-back hair, fastidious threads and endless talk of "honor" and "family." Of course, these types of families will blow you away for as little as cheating at a poker game, but they sure look cool doing it, don't they?

Such is the reason I've never warmed up much to mob movies. However hard I try to detach myself from the bloodshed and remember they're only movies, I can't help but be put off by our culture's fascination with petty criminals who dress well and eat lots of pasta. Give a guy a gun and an Italian accent, and he's suddenly "honorable." Put one in the hands of a African-American with a wife, two kids and bills to pay, and he's a hood. Add to that giant-sized posters of The Sopranos, all lined up and smirking at the camera in that oh-so-hip- it-hurts way, and notch up another case of good, old-fashioned Hollywood exploitation masked as highbrow entertainment.

Road to Perdition would seem to have all the trademarks of such a typical mobster-makes-good tale. Idealistic little Michael Sullivan, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) is 12 years-old and about to learn what his father (Tom Hanks) does for a living. Accidentally spying on a hit gone wrong, little Michael's curiosity ends up killing the proverbial cat - a contract is soon put out on the family, and father and son must embark on a road trip. But as Michael Sr. closes in on the patriarch of the "family" (Paul Newman), a hit man (Jude Law) is hot on their tail. Where the road will eventually lead is not where anyone ever expected.... Boys may have been put on this Earth to trouble their fathers, but maybe fathers were put on this Earth to rescue their sons?

For his sophomore follow-up to the Academy Award- winning American Beauty, Sam Mendes chose to adapt the acclaimed graphic novel by Max Allan Collins. Wanting to tackle a film that was more about "images, not words," Mendes certainly makes his point - there is probably more dialogue in a single scene of American Beauty than in all of Road to Perdition. For a film that is told almost entirely in visuals, Mendes was smart to again team up with the late Conrad Hall, who is without a doubt one of this past century's greatest cinematographers. This is indeed a breathtaking film to look at, if also uncharacteristically austere for a mainsttream film. There is little of the warmth and comfort of the familial scenes of The Godfather films here, nor even a hint of humor. Road to Perdition is a morality tale, and by their very nature all such stories are tragic. Yet despite the gloom, it is still hard not to get sucked into every scene in Perdition, if only because it is so gorgeous to look at.

Unfortunately, beauty is only skin deep, and a film's narrative ultimately needs more than majestic oppressiveness to leave a lasting impact. Working off of a bare bones script by David Self, Mendes' restraint with the violence is admirable, as is the decision to frame the story primarily through the eyes of Michael, Jr. However, I would complain that for once, Hanks was miscast. The character's darker edges seem lost, and it is not because Hanks can't play dark; rather, his innate likability makes the film's concluding scenes too fantasy- like, so the inevitable denouncement feels more like a tragedy than perhaps it should. Also failing to register is Jennifer Jason Leigh as the mother, with the stagey opening family scenes lacking impact and resonance. After the end of the first act, our engagement feels limited to the glittering surfaces, not the heart of the characters.

Strangely given Mendes' stated intentions, Road to Perdition thus ends up feeling like a film that really is told more through words than images. We see the breathtaking visuals, yet the connective tissue is imparted only through the brief voice-over and a few key exchanges between Hanks and Hoechlin. Law is also given little dimension, as is Newman, although he is so charismatic an actor that it is easy to see why his relatively few scenes won him an Oscar nomination. But such flaws aside, Road to Perdition still leaves much to savor. It looks great, packs many moments of tremendous power, and dares to ask more questions than it answers. Not perfect, but then maybe that's enough for a mob movie these days?

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

DreamWorks Home Entertainment has released Road to Perdition in no less than three different versions: 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen and 4:3 full screen versions, and a widescreen-only release with an additional DTS track. While the extras on the two widescreen versions are almost the same (see below), given what a gorgeous film this is to look at, I continue to remain baffled as to why Spielberg and the DreamWorks team continues to support full frame releases at all. I know I'm getting on my soapbox, but Hollywood's most powerful filmmaker and the studio he helped to build should be leaders, not followers, in educating the public about the virtues of original aspect ratio. Isn't it ironic that a late, great cinematographer like Conrad Hall is still having his work butchered in the name of Kmart shoppers? (Alright, whining aside, Road to Perdition was shot in the Super 35 process, so the full screen is actually "recomposed" and not merely panned and scanned. Still, please don't waste your time!)

Okay, now on to the transfer itself. Given the slight reconfiguration of the extras, both the DTS and Dolby Digital versions deliver about the same bitrate for the picture, and both look sensational. This is just a wonderful, wonderful looking film, and there is little for even me to complain about. The print is impeccable, with only a slight bit of grain apparent (oddly enough, usually during daylight scenes) if indicative of the Super 35 process. Blacks are perfect, with excellent contrast. Hall makes the most of low light, shadow and halos around characters and objects. In a film such as this, impeccable detail and especially shadow delineation are absolutely essential, and this transfer delivers. It's smooth, finely textured, and even the darkest of scenes are wonderfully three-dimensional. There is also no apparent edge enhancement to distract (aside from a couple of the daylight scenes that seem to suffer from slight ringing) and I noticed no compression artifacts. Terrific!

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Given the film's runtime and the bitrate requirements of the transfer, DreamWorks has elected to release Road to Perdition in separate Dolby Digital and DTS versions. While I generally am a fan of composer Thomas Newman, I will say that his rather droning, nondescript score here lacks truly memorable themes. It is also very bassy and sparse, so neither the Dolby Digital or DTS versions will become demo material anytime soon. That's not to say they aren't excellent in terms of fidelity and especially dynamic range, just that neither is incredibly aggressive.

Certainly, this is an impeccably produced soundtrack. Mendes and his sound team make fine use of very soft ambient sound throughout, which make the short bursts of gunplay even more striking. Both mixes deliver some powerful low end in the rare scenes that use it (the DTS sounded just a hair bit tighter, but nothing astonishing) and overall separation across the front three channels is reference-quality. However, I was hoping for a bit more consistent surround use; Newman's score delivers the hum but not much rattle, and like most of the effects is directed to the front speakers. There is some nice use atmosphere, especially during the concluding scenes at the beach house, but nothing exceptional. Comparing the Dolby Digital and DTS tracks on three scenes, transparency is maybe a bit better on the DTS, but again nothing extraordinary. I liked both tracks, so pick whichever suits your needs.

Included on all versions are English 2.0 and French 5.1 Dolby surround tracks, and rare for a DTS release, the full-blown English 5.1 Dolby track is also included. English captions encoded as subtitles and French and Spanish subtitles are also provided on every release, although there are no true English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

I must admit that I'm never sure how I'm going to react to a filmmaker I don't know all that much about when I first pop in an audio commentary. While I am of course familiar with Sam Mendes from American Beauty, the guy doesn't have much else on his cinematic resume. So I had to wonder...would success spoil Rock Hunter? Not in this case. After listening to this guy for two hours, I really came away a big fan. He is articulate, modest, funny and appreciative. He's also very sharp, and fills this track with great detail on just about all aspects of the production. Right from the opening scene, we learn about the various, often contentious debates over how to open the film, then it's right into the graphic novel, the casting, working with Conrad Hall, and of course, the film's ultimate themes and goals. A great, A+ commentary.

Funny that a couple of years ago, many DVD fans criticized Mendes for not including deleted scenes on American Beauty, even though the director felt they might cheapen the impact of the final cut. (Hell hath no fury like a DVD fan scorned.) Apparently this time around, Mendes didn't have the same problem. 11 Deleted scenes are included, totaling a little over 15 minutes. "Scene extensions" might be the more accurate phrase, for aside from one notable exception, all expand upon existing scenes with minor insight. While I felt "In the Image of His Father" should have been included in the final cut, the others are very nice but not essential. However, check out "Mr. Capone," which features a cut cameo by Anthony LaPaglia as the legendary Al Capone. I agree with Mendes' commentary on this one - it's fun, but distracting and not essential to the story. As for the quality of these scenes, they are impeccable and just as good as anything in the finished film. All are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.

I suppose when you release three versions of a movie, something has to give. In this case DTS fans will miss out, as the 25-minute HBO First Look Special is only included on the Dolby Digital versions. However, I can't say it is a huge loss. Totally typical for these types of specials, it is very glossy and filled with onset EPK interviews with the main cast and crew. While noteworthy for featuring what are likely Hall's last known interviews, it is overstuffed with film clips and is, of course, just an extended commercial. Still, entertaining enough.

Rounding out the package are the usual production notes (pretty good, this time), fairly detailed filmographies, and a soundtrack promo. Last but not least is a still gallery with 50 images. However, the overlay is put over almost a third of each image, which is really distracting; also, they are all publicity shots, and not particularly illuminating. (Oddly enough, there are no theatrical trailers on either the Dolby Digital or DTS versions.)

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts