Road To Perdition (2002)

Directed By -  Sam Mendes

Cast - Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, Tyler Hoechlin

Too many gangster films tends to bore- Says who?, i have already watched 2 in 2 days and i am far from being bored. Before i start i have to say Hollywood has got something about Multi-starers or " Ensemble" casts as they are called in the west., they NEVER seem to get it wrong. Road to Perdition directed by Academy Award winner ( for American Beauty) Sam Mendes is a Father-son cum-Gangster revenge drama. So we have Micheal Sullivan Sr ( Two Time Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks) who is a mob enforcer for Mobster John Rooney (Paul Newman - another Academy Award Winner!) who loves him like his own son and prefers him over his own , ruthless son Connor ( Daniel Craig), during an altercation Connor ends up killing a man and is seen doing so by Sullivan's elder son Micheal Jr ( Tyler Hoechlin), Micheal Sr swears his son to secrecy, but Connor in an attempt to hush the witnessed ends up killing Sullivan's wife and younger son and this paves the , as the title says, road to perdition ( meaning utter distraction).Water serves as a motif in the film, ad its pretty interestingly interwoven in the film.it is essentially linked with death as tom hanks says earlier on in the film " that ice helps preserve the body".Water being linked with death talks about the mutability of water and links it to the uncontrollability of fate. This is the reason why the most intense ( and the best scenes) are shot in the rain.The best scene of the film is undoubtedly the one where Sullivan guns down Rooney with tears in his eyes masked by the heavy rain. This is Cinematography at its best ( No wonder Conrad L Hall is such a legend). Of the cast Tom Hanks is easily the finest of the lot as a gangster whose sole aim in life is to finish off the man who killed his family but in the process rediscovers his relationship with his father. Daniel Craig does well in a small role as the hotheaded Connor ( just like Sonny Corleone), Jude Law as the psychopathic assassin does not have much to do and frankly overacts for the most part, Paul Newman as Mob Boss John Rooney is very restrained (unlike most gangster portrayal's we see) and he takes the Marlon Brando route in portraying a man torn between his son and the one guy he loves the most, Tyler Hoechlin undoubtedly has the most difficult role in the film as a boy who initially has difficulties coming to terms with his father's profession then starts enjoying it and eventually understands that that is what his father had feared the most. The entire Father- Son story is fleshed out beautifully and very naturally so much so that most of us would actually relate with it. Tyler Hoechlin and Tom hanks make this movie what it is ( taking nothing away from Newman).the direction by Sam Mendes is what it should be like, the best quality that Mendes possesses is that he breaks down all his films to the complexities of human nature and brings it out perfectly, trust me when i say this but despite being a gangster film the execution of this one is very similar to American Beauty and his much later Revolutionary Road.Mendes instead of just showing them as gangsters goes deep down and tries to delve deep into their internal complexities. Notice the scene where Newman and Hanks have one final confrontation in the church and you will understand that Mendes has not made a film on gangsters but a film on human beings who just happen to be gangsters and thats where Mendes scores full marks. All in All Road to Perdition is film with natural performances, brilliant camera work and masterful direction

Rating - 9.0/10

The Untouchables (1987)

Directed By - Brian De Palma

Starring - Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia, 

Charles Martin Smith, Patricia Clarkson

For a crime- drama in Hollywood, you would generally see people like Al Pacino and Tommy lee Jones being cast, but Brian De Palma pulls this one off with a very unconventional cast ( how many times have you seen Costner and Connery featured in one !) . Set in the 1930's Palma's film talk about the prohibition era in USA. A time when liquor manufacture and sale was banned and bootlegging became a popular business , A time when this illegal empire was ruled by a certain man known as Al Capone ( played by De Niro) and how a group of "Handpicked Cops" known popularly as The Untouchables ( due to their absolute loyalty to the force) brings him down.Written like a fast paced thriller , this film has everything, A well known criminal, mapped out plot and that golden touch of Brian De Palma. . The biggest USP of the film is its plot and screenplay. The scenes are well fleshed out, right from the selection of the team to Capone's execution everything is paced well and does not bore for a single moment. The film also has its "edge of the seat " moments, notice the scene where Costner and Garcia are out to arrest one of the key men in Capone's regime in a railway station (a reference to the famous Odessa Steps sequence), De Palma sure has a way with shooting such bloodbath sequences in railway stations (which he would later repeat in Carlito's Way) pure class!. But personally my favorite scene in the film is when Costner throws one of Capone's men from the roof of a building. There is absolutely no build up in that scene and its so sudden that it amazes you. Of the cast Kevin Costner as Elliot Ness ( the person who actually convicted Capone) puts in a stellar act as the cop with high virtues who has to finally bend his ideologies for greater good. The scene where he shoots down one of the gangsters against his will shows exactly why Costner is considered an actor of high caliber. Andy Garcia as the Italian- American George Stone is understated and raw  (he is the expert shooter in the team) . As the young protege turned celebrated cop Garcia puts in the correct dose of awe and excitement needed to play a rookie cop. Charles Martin Smith in a bit role shines as Oscar Wallace the man who gives the team the needed loophole to get Capone behind bars. Robert De Niro plays the Larger than life gangster with ease. Capone, as is widely known, was a very flamboyant and glamorous person. De Niro brings out the cold bloodedness as well as the flamboyant side of the dreaded gangster with panache. But the star act of the film comes from Sean Connery. Playing the veteran cop Jimmy Malone who has the experience and skill needed to run such a team, Connery dives into his character so much so that he even gets the Irish accent spot on.The scene where his character is shot at and subsequently dies demand's respect. Hats off to "Mr Bond" for a bold performance such as this. the Academy Award ( for best supporting which Connery won for this film) was well deserved . In the end 'The Untouchables' is great cinema mainly for 4 reasons - Brian De Palma's powerful direction, a brilliantly put together backdrop , some charming performances from the actors and Sean Connery's Jimmy Malone      

Rating - 9.0/10

Dum Maaro Dum (2011)

           

                            Directed by - Rohan Sippy

        Starring -  Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Pratiek Babbar, Bipasha Basu, Aditya Pancholi,                                             

                                 Govind Namdeo, Vidya Balan ( in a special appearance)     

 How many times in the past few years have seen or read an Abhishek Bachchan films being panned? answer -  a hell number of times, but this film surely changes that trend.Written by the renowned Sridhar Raghavan ( Ek hasina thi and johnny gaddar) and directed by the not-so-renowned Rohan Sippy ( read Kuch naa kaho) DMD is about Goa being the drug capital of India and how a corrupt turned honest police officer ACP Vishnu Kamath ( Abhishek Bachchan) infiltrates the business of drug lord Lorsa Biscuita ( Pancholi) only to find that all roads lead to an elusive mastermind Micheal Barbossa who has never been seen and is supremely feared ( much like keyser soze in The Usual Suspects). Sridhar raghavan scripts this one smartly and allows you only minimal sympathy to be invested in each character this helps the film keep its focus on its protagonist, Goa. But the films USP is the psychedelic camerawork which gives it a "druggy high" feel. The slipshot cuts, fast zooms and the sepia tone of the films give us a visual treat never before seen in Bollywood. Hats off to Amit Roy for such superior cinematrography.The dialogues are crisp and hard hitting and if you are someone with a honey laced vocabulary you'll sure have to close your ears during some scenes.The story although watertight for most of the running time falls at times for example the part about Abhishek Bachchan turning honest after his family's death is not too well fleshed out.Of the cast Pratiek Babbar does decently as a teenager caught in the web of drugs for a higher education in USA, Rana daggubati in his debut outing looks the part but does not provide enough punch required to play Joki. As a depressed lover turned mentor to a teenager Rana fails completely when it comes to emotions, but his decent screen presence helps us overlook that. Bipasha Basu puts in a praiseworthy act as Joki's lover turned Lorsa's mole. She emotes when needed and stones up when needed. But it is ( as you have guessed) Abhishke Bachchan's Vishnu Kamath who packs in the punch.As a Corrupt turned angry young police officer Abhishek invests beautifully in his character so as to avoid any comparisons to his father and in the same time creating a comfortable space for himself. Bachchan brings out that hint of anger and that streak of ego perfectly that makes Vishnu Kamath a memorable officer on screen ( most of which are thanks to his father).At the end though the film falls a bit due to some glitches in the script it breezes through thanks to some superior camerawork, edgy screenplay, that evergreen RD Burman guitar riff and a ecstatic performance by Abhishek Bachchan.  

Rating -  8.0/10