'Road' To The Oscars?
It's only July but the word Oscar is on filmgoers' lips.
The highly anticipated movie, "Road to Perdition" opened nationwide this weekend, and everything about it appears to scream Academy Award, from the star-studded cast to the production design to director Sam Mendes' reunion with Oscar-winning cinematographer Conrad Hall and Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman
The star, Tom Hanks, who garnered back-to-back Oscars for his portrayal of the idiot sage of "Forrest Gump" and the an AIDS-afflicted attorney in "Philadelphia," politely declines to assess the film's awards prospects and his own chances at a sixth best-actor nomination or third win.
"July might be a little too early for an Oscar preview," Hanks said has said in the numerous recent interviews he has done to promote the movie.
The dream cast, assembled by Mendes, an Oscar winner for 1999's "American Beauty," also includes Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Stanley Tucci.
In the movie, based on a graphic novel, Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, a sullen Depression-era gunman bent on vengeance over the slayings of his wife and youngest son.
But don't expect your average gangster story; the film's main theme is a father-son relationship. On The Early Show this week, several of the film's stars discussed the movie an dtheir roles in it.
A Cold-Blooded Killer: Mention a mob killer and Tom Hanks in the same breath, and it doesn't seem to add up. The the merry man-child of "Big" at the dispensing end of a Tommy gun? Hanks has played dark-tinged characters before, but never anything as grave and gloomy as Michael Sullivan, a sullen Depression-era gunman bent on revegence. "He's probably the most isolated human being I've played," Hanks, 46, said.
The Picture Of A Hitman: Most people are quick to describe actor Jude Law as extremely handsome. However, in "The Road to Perdition," he looks quite the opposite. Law plays the role of Maguire, a crime scene photographer who doubles as a hitman. For the role, Law was given a washed-out skin tone and beat-up hands, as a result of constant soaking in photo fluids.
A Character From History: Actor Stanley Tucci plays the part of Frank Nitti, a real-life mobster. "Frank Nitti was Al Capone's right hand man who, they say, for all intents and purposes, ran the organization," Tucci said. Since his character was the only one in the movie based on a real person, he prepared by reading articles and other information on Nitti.
In The Director's Chair: After almost a decade in live theater, director Sam Mendes made his film debut in 1999 with "American Beauty", and won an Oscar. Three years later, his follow-up "Road to Perdition" hits theaters and once again the Oscar buzz has started.
Young Boy Among Big Stars: "Road to Perdition" features many celebrated actors, and in the midst of all this celebrity is a young newcomer, Tyler Hoechlin. In the movie, Tyler plays the role of Michael Sullivan Jr., the son of hitman Michael Sullivan, played by Hanks. You would think that playing the role of Tom Hanks' son in an Oscar-worthy movie would go to someone with an extensive resume. However, this is not true of Tyler. His film resume is very short; he has only appeared in one other movie, "Family Tree" (2000).