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Sam Mendes follows up on his Academy Award®-winning directorial debut film, American Beauty, with this Depression-era tale about a Chicago hit man for an Irish gang. Based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, The Road to Perdition boasts a stellar cast, including two-time Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks in the lead role, along with Paul Newman, Jude Law, Anthony LaPaglia, Stanley Tucci, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The plot follows Michael O'Sullivan (Hanks), known as the Angel of Death to friends and enemies alike. He takes his job as an assassin very seriously, but he is also a committed family man who is absolutely devoted to his wife and two sons. Those worlds collide in an unfortunate fashion, and O'Sullivan's wife and younger son are killed, leaving the hit man to take his surviving son on the run and causing him to take his own particular brand of vengeance. The trailer emphasizes the importance of the father/son relationship, both between Hanks and his own son as well as his intricate bonding with the father figure played by Newman, who sees in O'Sullivan the man he wishes his son could be.

The Road to Perdition has had at least six rumored release dates over the course of time. It was initially planned for November of 2001, but then moved around to various dates on the 2002 schedule before finally settling on July 12, 2002 as its opening date. It remains to be seen whether audiences are ready to accept Tom Hanks in a darker, more sinister role, but there can be little doubt that his recent track record is spectacular. With the outstanding level of talent involved in this production and a terrific, moody trailer, The Road to Perdition is definitely a film to keep on radar. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Road to Perdition Main Cast Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Jude Law, Paul Newman, Anthony LaPaglia, Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Jason Leigh Supporting Cast Daniel Craig, Kevin Chamberlin, Ciaran Hinds, Liam Aiken Director Sam Mendes Screenwriter David Self Distributor DreamWorks Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.roadtoperdition.com/ Rating R Running Time 117 minutes Screen Count 2,332 Awards Awards page for Road to Perdition Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Road to Perdition
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Saving Private Ryan	7/24/98	30.58	39.31	2463	12416.00	15354.5	216.12	277.86	7.07
Cast Away	12/22/00	28.88	32.30	2774	10411.00	11202.9	233.63	261.36	5.86
Apollo 13	6/30/95	25.35	35.14	2197	11538.00	15384.0	172.07	238.52	4.47
Forrest Gump	7/8/94	24.45	36.13	1595	15329.00	21791.2	329.65	487.18	13.15
Green Mile, The	12/10/99	18.02	21.47	2875	6268.00	7156.4	136.80	163.02	7.59
From Hell	10/19/01	11.32	12.08	2305	4911.00	5041.4	31.60	33.72	2.79
American Beauty	10/1/99	8.19	9.76	706	11601.00	13245.2	130.06	154.99	14.63
Darkman	8/24/90	8.05	11.50	1786	4507.00	6194.5	32.94	47.06	4.09
Goodfellas	9/21/90	6.37	9.10	1070	5953.00	8181.8	46.74	66.78	7.32
L.A. Confidential	9/19/97	5.21	6.84	769	6775.00	8561.0	64.62	84.89	12.40