Road To Perdition (2002) | Ep. 120 - All The Right Movies

Episode Transcript
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(00:04):
All the right movies. Michael, are you hurt?
You saw everything. You are not to speak of this to
anyone, you understand Not to anyone.
Who's this? It's one of yours.

(00:25):
He must have been hiding in the car.
Or can he keep a secret? He's my son.
Bob enforcer Michael Sullivan finds his world torn apart when
his son is witness to a ganglandslaying.
With his family in tatters, Michael and his son hit the road
in search of vengeance and a journey that will test the bonds

(00:46):
between them. Sam Mendez's multilayered
generational saga transformed Tom Hanks into an unlikely anti
hero and gave Paul Newman a poignant farewell performance.
Shot by one of the great cinematographers, wrote to
Perdition is a poetic tale of violence and loyal in depression
to Euro America. My name is Luke, and the two
fellas with me who rule this town as God rules the earth are
Matt. You're a big baby who doesn't

(01:08):
know his thumb for this Dick. And Westie.
Let's drink him to God. Let's hope he gets to heaven at
least an hour before the devil finds out he's dead.
All the right movies are on the road to perdition, and there's
only one guarantee none of us will see heaven.

(01:40):
Hi everyone, welcome to All the Right Movies, a podcast on
classic and hit films that's also fucking hysterical.
It sure is frequently, yeah. Very good.
Very. Good manner of taste, I suppose.
Obviously, yeah. On the show we tell the story of
Hollywood one film at a time andthis week we're travelling down
a rain soaked Rd. through depression era America as we

(02:00):
uncover the incredible behind the scenes story of Sam Mendes's
haunting masterpiece. Oh, huge.
Big one. Before we step into the darkness
in 1931, though, he is some information about becoming an
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(03:06):
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Yeah, Lords to check out. Thank you very much, everyone.
And now it's back to 1931 and this was your pick, Westie.
Need I see anymore? A film that you've raved about
since it came out. It was only a matter of time.
It was only a matter of time. Yeah.
It's been one that I've been waiting to put up, one I've been
really, really excited to talk about and one that really

(03:48):
changed the landscape for me in in cinema in general, in visuals
in general, in inspiration, in general.
I'd seen, but the films if this ilk had obviously I'd seen the
Godfather had seen, but you would deem to be classic taxi
driver over this point. But this for me just seemed to
just take all of the right boxestechnically, visually.
I mean, I've watched it in blackand white.

(04:08):
Obviously, I don't know if you guys have, but I would check
that out. And I've frequently just paused
it to make notes as I do on any film.
And every time I've looked up, I've been like, what a shot that
is. And no matter, no matter when
I've paused it literally like. Frame.
Look at that. This is it's just, it's just
outrageously good. Yeah.
I think it's Conrad Hall's absolute magnum Orbis.

(04:28):
And to me, I mean, I don't know whether I've got more admiration
for this. And I do have love.
I don't know if it's more of a technical thing or.
Technically, it's beautiful. Now we'll dive into it.
Is it really as good as I think it is or was it just the
impression it made on me in 2002?
And you know, I've, I've LED from this and turned into a
photographer because of this. This is why I bought a camera.

(04:49):
That's why I started taking pictures, why I do what I've
done for the last 17 years. So it it really, really made an
impact on me. But it's not just the
cinematography. I think the editing is
fantastic. I think the scores fantastic.
I think the lead performances are fantastic and I think
there's a lot to get into. Is it all strong all the way
through? I don't know.
Let's have a chat about it. Let's see where it peaks and

(05:09):
troughs. Let's do it.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, I pushed against this filmwhen it came out.
Unlike you, Wesley, I was just. I was put off by what I
perceived was just what looked like a miserable film.
The darkness of the film. Yeah, it's kind of what
attracted me, though. I know, I know.
That's why we're so close. Opposites attract, don't they?

(05:30):
Yeah, it's. Attractive that poster that just
didn't appeal to me. Shadows and rain perdition.
It just looked miserable. Yeah, fair enough.
And it is. Yeah, of course it is.
It's not lying here. It's not lying.
No, no. So I didn't watch it for a
number of years, and I was surprised when I did get around
with that. It really isn't as bleak as I

(05:52):
anticipated. Of course it is.
But there is a likeness of touchthat Mendez brings to the
material, which I think is crucial to make it work.
And, you know, what can you say about that cast, the
cinematography, the set and costume designer?
Amazing. And we're talking about the last
film for Conrad Hall, the last live action film for Paul
Newman. I mean, he appeared in a billion

(06:13):
animated films after this. You said cars wasn't, I think.
Cars Cars 3 did some documentaries, but what a way to
go out for both of them. Paul Newman, The man was 77.
He's still commanding the screenlike the legend that he always
was. Effortlessly as well, I think.
Incredible here. An important film in a number of
ways. Conrad Hall, Paul Newman, Tom

(06:34):
Hanks turning bad guy, Sam Mendes, a sophomore effort.
Just loads going on here. Yes, it's about time.
Definitely. What about you, Matt?
It's a film I'm almost nostalgicfor because I don't want to be
that guy, but I just don't thinkthis is the kind of film that
gets made anymore. All right, Granddad.
Yeah, I know, I'm yelling at. Clouds.

(06:59):
But you know, this is something that's just very mature.
It's very somber. It's definitely aimed at adults,
but all the same, it's got a huge box office saw attached and
it was released a pretty decent financial success.
And I'm just saying, does that happen with something like this
anymore? I don't know.
I just feel like this would be dumped straight on the stream in
these days. That's where these kind of
prestige pictures go. So it does feel like a bit of a

(07:22):
relic in that sense. And I don't actually watch it
that often. But that's got nothing to do
with the quality of it. It's because it's such like a
delicate film. Personally, I think you could
Overwatch this and spoil it. It's you know it, there's
something quite rich about it. I wanted to savor it and kind of
only have it on special occasions, like a really good
cheese so. Yeah, I know what you mean.
Yeah, it's like a pencil sketch,isn't that you're scared of

(07:43):
rubbing it out? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kind of like to it. Yeah, yeah.
But no, it's a great film and I'm just so glad it exists.
Yes, very much. I think we all are.
We all are, wrote. The Partition was written by
David Self, based on the graphicnovel of the same name, directed
by Sam Mendes and produced by Dean and Richard D Zanuck for
the Zanuck Company, and distributed by DreamWorks
Pictures in the theaters on the 12th of July 2002.

(08:05):
Shot mainly on location and setsin and around the Chicago area,
it stars Tom Hanks is Michael Sullivan.
Tyler Heckman is Michael Sullivan.
No, the other one. Some relation.
Paul Newman is John Rooney, and there's a superb supporting
cast, including Jude Law, DanielCraig, Jennifer Jason Lee and

(08:26):
Stanley Tucci. Yes, let's get on the road with
Michael Sullivan. Some say he was a decent man,
some say there was no good in him at all.
But we're going to spend six weeks with him in the winter of
1931. This is our story.
The beginning. We're catapulted in the 1930s

(08:46):
America in the opening titles asMichael Junior cycles home
through the bustling streets andpunishing winter.
We'll be meeting as real and adopted family soon, but first
hopefully you might with that opening.
Yeah, I mean, this opening, the titles so evocative with that
music behind it. And you can see already just how
rich this is in terms of the production design, the costumes,
the cars. You just sit and you think,

(09:08):
yeah, they've made this one for grown-ups, haven't they?
You know, this is this is its own thing, and it's going to
take its time. And it does take its time.
But Even so, it's still one of the fastest pace scenes in the
film, the way that it shows Michael Junior making his way
home. So thinking ourselves, yeah, OK,
just sadly. And this is the pace we're going
out. And I think it just sums up the
idea that back in those days, you did become an adult very,

(09:29):
very quickly because Michael Junior, he is a child, but he's
earned enough money for the household.
He's smoking a pipe. And that just has that wonderful
contrast when he gets home and all of a sudden wiped out by a
snowball from Peter, who's hiding behind a tree.
And then it's this childish fun and games, which it should be
for him at that age. And his contrast.
Yeah, it is. And it's the quiet tragedy of
the film that everything about his childhood is going to be

(09:51):
quickly and brutally stripped away from him.
And then it just stands, you know, his father's back home.
This man, he's been setting up in that opening voice over.
He approaches him with absolute caution and fear in that
bedroom. Tell him that dinner's ready.
Yeah. So I'll go from there and then
we're into this great setup where we're introduced to the
cover image of the Rooneys. This isn't actually who they
are. I think it's just a very nice,

(10:14):
very nice cover up, very nice guys.
And Newman here is fantastic. There's some wonderful moments
where I don't want to see them dice.
And then the playing with it, you just see he's just very
playful and he's just got them both there and it's just them
shots of Daniel Craig Smorgan inthat room.
The way he's introduced, just out of focus and the hold it,
yeah, it's wonderful. And then it goes back to
Michael's point of view. And that light is just

(10:35):
incredible. And it goes back again out of
focus and then it cuts into focus.
So you kind of think in this guy's unhinged.
He's he's unstable. The techniques used in this by
Mendez are just second and none,especially which shots he uses
for the edit in which he doesn't.
And the thing I love about this is you can see the Conrad Halls
give him a lot to. Play with and.
Everything he's got in that toolbox looks fucking amazing.

(10:56):
He's just, he doesn't have a clue which shots to use and then
really has to get his head around it because everything
could look amazing. I mean, I've heard of an
interview with Mendez, I've heard the the commentary and he
says to the opening of the film was meant to just be putting
together that Tommy Gunn from the the top point of view from
the end. As he said, it was just too
dark. It's like how you just open it
with just him putting together aTommy gun and then it just cuts.
They get, it's like it's not going to work, but it would have

(11:18):
been fantastic. It would have just been an
amazing opening, but it just doesn't work.
There's too much here to play with.
And then we'll go to, oh, look, it's Paul Newman.
And then he has to give a Paul Newman performance and he does
the speeches at the wake. And it's just if anyone could
have spoke at my wake would be Paul Newman in this character
because it's just it has such eloquence.
It had such poetry. It had such depth in the lines

(11:39):
are just absolutely fantastic. When he says, you know, I'm a
dear and trusted friend, you fucking believe him.
But he's full of shit at the same time.
And he's, you know, his words are where you have more poetry
in the mine. That in itself.
That's poetic. It's beautifully poetic and such
an uplift for someone who's going to speak after you.
But then he does the come over here and shows him that he's in

(12:00):
charge. And it's just a great
introduction to Mike and his role because when Finn starts
going over and over and over, you can see just looking all
they looks over at Daniel Craig Carrot and he looks back.
Is that right? And he has to go in and he cuts
in and absolutely just takes control of the situation.
It's very, very subtly done, butincredibly effective filming.
Yeah, that's the thing that keeps you at arm's length,

(12:21):
doesn't it? It's very subtly done, so you
don't really know what the setupis with the dynamic quite yet.
No, not at all. So following those speeches,
Finn McGovern is ejected from his own brother's wake.
A terrible state of affairs, buthis behavior just hints at the
insidious nature of this family and that something's just not as

(12:42):
it seems underneath. Yeah.
And in a drunken stupor outside,Finn threatens that he's going
to deal with Connor after he's buried his brother.
So I suppose in a way, Connor's hand has been forced, We find
out later on, and Connor's living in the shadow of his
father's power and his relationship with Michael.
He wants to be as powerful as his dad.
He wants that relationship and that his dad has with Michael.

(13:03):
And that. Beautifully reinforced when we
go back inside. Firstly there's a wonderful jig
being danced that Hawks back to the old country.
Is this really awake? Yeah, but it is in more ways
than one with this two way pianopiece that Michael and John
share. Simple lines intertwine and
harmoniously. There's a complete simpatico

(13:24):
between Michael and John, a mournful piece reflective of the
film's themes. I'm pretty sure it's called Lick
My Lab Pump. It's quite pretty.
Very good. You couldn't get that out fast
enough. Very good.
It's quite pretty. But the piano tuet in the scene,

(13:45):
which is just called Petition, was actually written by
legendary composer John Williamsbecause he came on board as a
special guest because he has deep ties with Zanuck Hank San
Spielberg. Nice.
So it's not called like my little pump?
I don't think so. Shame.
Shame. Yeah.
Unless that bit was in commas, maybe at the end, yeah.
Petition. Lick my love.

(14:08):
Yeah, that works very good. There it is.
I mean, you can see it on the screen as well.
Well. And Hanks and Human spent weeks
practicing the piece together tomake their on screen dynamic
reflected in their telepathic piano play.
And I mean, I just love the way the camera just sits on them and
goes. You want to see them playing it?
There you go. And sounds fantastic.
Yeah. It really comes across in that
scene that they are playing it and Connor can only watch on

(14:30):
behind that pin it. Smiley's bubbling under with
jealousy and. Rage and furious.
But of course, it's also fuckinghysterical.
A great line. He comes down into that light as
well, and that light just hits his face.
It's just incredibly. Well done.
It's excellent, Very reminiscentof the wedding scene in the D
Hunter for example, Our Godfather families coming
together with loads of pockets of dialogue and dynamism and

(14:54):
friendships going on. I really love it.
It's great. Yeah.
And the fact that it's awake instead of a celebration.
Really. Yes.
More of a, you know, reflective time.
And they've learned that together on that piano, thinking
we're going to get more chance to play this than we are.
Something has. Going to be a lot of dead
bodies. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So a wonderful setup of the father son dynamics are playing
the film in the opening scenes. Yeah, fantastic.

(15:16):
Taking his father's request, Connor and Michael pay a visit
to Finn McGovern. But they didn't anticipate 1/3
wheel coming along for the ride,did they, Westy?
They really didn't, no, And I think this whole sequence is
fantastic. The shots in the back of the car
aren't cheesy or overdone. When you just find him
underneath that case and he lifts it up and the light comes
in just enough to see who it is,it's not played out too much.

(15:36):
This his point of view from the back of the car, which I think
you know, it just really reflects the scene, reflects
your point of view. You're going to see all of this
through Michael's vision. You're going to see from his
experiences, You're going to experience it as he does.
You're going to kind of see whathis dad does, but still don't
know exactly what his dad does. So many great shots in this.
And it's the first time that we get the water theme that runs
all the way through this, which is synonymous with death.

(15:59):
And you've got the rain coming out.
You've obviously got the ice on the body.
We've got the ocean sounds at the start, which then then
played again at the end. So much rain in this just
basically means, you know, death's coming.
Yes, And that's how they do it and that's how they highlight
it. And I think that's absolutely
fantastic because you don't quite know that yet.
And you get that lovely shot, what he's looking through.
And there's a back and forth between Connor, even though this

(16:19):
is all shot wide. Daniel Craig's fantastic here.
He's just electric in the background.
He's just so volatile. You don't know what he's going
to do or when he's going to spinor when he's going to turn.
And the fact you say I'm sorry your brother was such a fucking
liar and he's pushing the buttons.
And what did you do that for? Why did it have to go that far
from Michael Junior's point of view when his dad stands in that
frame and he's just that Sergio,the only shot.

(16:40):
And his legs are there and he's singing through that.
You don't really get the chance to see it until that trigger is
pulled. And I absolutely love that shot.
That could have been cheese on toast with that being slow
motion, but it's the sound design and that it's it's so
jarring what you're listening toand you're in shock.
I think it's just really, reallywell played out.
It's a fantastic stunt. It looks great, all the

(17:02):
movements perfect. There's not too much blood.
So it's shotgun. It's from a child's point of
view when Finn hits that ground and that Tommy gun goes off.
I remember in the cinema thinking that is loud because
that's where the kids going to hear.
And if he doesn't cover easy is at that point reflecting on that
sound design. You think that's a mistake
that's being mixed too loud, butyou have to get his reaction.
It's like the opposite of Nolan dialogue, a little bit too

(17:26):
heavy, and then he runs out. And you can always think of
Forrest Gump, though when he comes out of the door and he
runs towards the game, it's a really Forrest Gump.
Run. With the Tommy gun.
Yeah, exactly. So that then hits home.
But when he realizes that it's Michael Junior and he knows that
that's it, but don't know what'sgoing to happen.

(17:48):
Connor so volatile, it's not going to work.
He doesn't really try to comforthis son at all.
You don't speak a word of this. It's not like pick him up and
try to ignore him from the situation.
He just does not know how to deal with it.
But the back and forth between Hanks and Craig here is
absolutely wonderful. You can just say there's no
trust between them. There's no love between them.
They're actually fucking hate each other.
And when you know, because John's actually said they would

(18:09):
take Mike with you, Oh God, right.
Because you're not going to be able to do properly.
And that's the point here. Connor's got the upper hand on
him. He's better than Mike now
because Mike's made a mistake with that kid there and he is
loving it. There's so much Glee on this.
And when his walk away and that little wave just reminds me of
he's Ledger in the Joker, just that little moment.

(18:31):
And I think he's just really hamming it up and it's perfectly
done. Nice night for a stroll of one
you've lost. Let's see what happens.
It's a brilliant, brilliant setup for a brilliant scene.
Yeah, he slams his way out of that scene.
He's great. I think some perspective needed
as well, because this is Daniel Craig.
Before he was Daniel Craig, before he was Bond, before he
was in Layer Cake. He was a relative nobody.

(18:52):
So he puts in quite a performance.
Oh, he's amazing. So after the hit, the rock sets
in, in both families, I suppose we think that Connor is slippery
as an eel, and that's confirmed during the next scene, where he
gives Michael a reminder to giveto Tony Carvino, who's light
again on his payment. Wonderful scene.
The music pulses with menace intermittently, just hinting at

(19:15):
the danger in the background, taking the jeopardy just up a
notch. And there's a really understated
one shot as they walk through that jazz club, the Lightnings.
Wonderful, deep, joyous Blues inthe club, and then a dangerous
red in the back, where all manner of unspeakable acts take
place. Lovely, lovely.
And then we're in Carvino's office.
Mike hands him the letter and his whole cocky demeanor

(19:38):
changes. It's a really good silent
performance from Doug's Bonooza.I haven't seen him anything
else. He's great.
He doesn't even have a wiki page, that's how hard the radar
is. Wow.
Completely baffled at what he's reading.
On that note. And the dread just seeps into
his body and you can see that onscreens.
Great. Yeah, it's the active players.
When Mike walks in, he's like, hey.

(20:00):
Yo, what am I like again? Yeah, exactly.
It's fantastic. Great.
He is great, but Michael can seedanger on my love, and he can
see that gun poorly concealed under the magazine as well.
Yeah, and Calvino and his goon wiped out ruthlessly without
hesitation. If we didn't know the menace
that Michael packs, or we kind of were unsure about it because
it's Tom Hanks we know now, but there's always that sense of

(20:24):
reluctancy with Michael and his work, particularly now that the
cat is out of the bag with his son.
He's bearing that shame and thatweight, but without it being
explicit, I think you can tell that he feels bad for taking the
goon out just on account of their nice little back and forth
in direction on the way to Calvino's office.
That's great. So on the surface level, it's a

(20:44):
great scene. Technically excellent.
Great storytelling as well, withvery, very little dialogue.
Love it. And then after this, you get the
whole turning point of the entire film, which is obviously
the killing of Annie and Peter. And I will say 11 flaw in the
film is that Jennifer Jason Lee is just so underused in this.
Yeah, yeah, I think so. I mean, I know obviously Annie

(21:06):
can't have much of a story yourself, and she's there to
sort of Michael's revenge arc, but all the same, it's Jennifer
Jason Lee. It's Jennifer Jason Lee.
Yeah. She's always awesome and you do
one more. But the fact is, she is so good
with so little. And that makes it all the more
shocking when this scene comes along because it is ripe with
tension. That cut from Michael
frantically hitting the phone inthe office to make the

(21:28):
connection to that shot of the Sullivan's phone just dangling
out of its cradle. Or it just makes you feel so
sick because you know, he's late.
He's way too late. I mean, that is visual
storytelling at its finest. And it's the realism of it.
Like when he appears at the bathroom door and his first
reaction isn't to beg for mercy or even try to fight back, throw

(21:49):
something upon it. It's the motherly protection
Shields. Peter straight away turns back
Eve. No, it's going to do no good
realistically. But it's the double scream that
she does. Like the first one is just this
one of pure shock and horror andthen no.
And it really hits home hard. Just got this realism to it, and
the moment that really gets me in this moment is pure
Hitchcock, is when Michael Ceneygets there and he thinks Connor

(22:12):
has seen him on the porch, whichis why he's pulled the scarf
down from his face. Yeah, it's really.
Hitchcock, yeah. But then that could shows he's
just looking at his own reflection instead.
In the glass. Oh, that's great.
Oh. It's so good and the tension of
Michael and silhouette on the porch barely able to breathe in
case Connor nordicism. I mean that is drawn out so
effectively because Connor only takes a few seconds to compose

(22:33):
himself. Black feels like 2 minutes,
Yeah, it feels like he stood there for ages with Michael just
like 2 foot away from him. It's a very tough scene to
watch, but it's massively put together.
Oh, it's absolutely amazing. And we have a possible Mendez
shot in story order. Chronologically, that's the
better track the characters emotional arcs.
The murder of Annie and Peter Sullivan took place in Week 2,
allowing Hanks to explore the full weight of his characters,

(22:55):
despair and fury. So you that was hanging over
like the performance for the rest of the shoot.
Yeah, amazed and stuff, just seeing Tom Hanks cry and it's
just a good punch, yeah. It's when it's the reaction with
it, no and just hearing it. But this is where you see that
fake nose and that's when it's really obvious.
It's like Dick dastardly. You just need one of them

(23:16):
tashes. It's got exactly the same nose,
which is quite weird. It kind of pulls me out with the
scene a little bit because it doesn't quite look like it is a
strange choice, but that that despair of that shout might look
upstairs and it's just the the speed within which he snaps out
of that and and knows what he has to do.
Yeah, it's pure revenge from the.
It is. It is.

(23:36):
It's great. Great setup.
Yeah. So the Sullivan family are
ripped apart and the ruin your family aren't far behind.
A devastating first act. Yeah, the director.
The man in the director's chair was Samuel Alexander Mendez, a
theatre director who was coming off the back of the roaring

(23:59):
success of his debut feature, American Beauty.
Indeed. So his work on his sophomore
efforts and what I think he shines is in his cast and
choices. OK.
The obvious thing to note here, First off, is that it's Tom
Hanks playing hugely against type.
It is cold blooded killer, but it's all right because, you
know, tanks. He can get away with anything.

(24:19):
But then if you look at the restof the cast, Newman's playing
against type as well. He's done morally ambiguous in
the past, of course, but he's never played the likes of a
gangland boss. And then look at the actors that
in 2002 we weren't that familiarwith.
Daniel Craig and Jude Law, Alfieand James Bond, their roles in
this film are certainly not the blueprint for what was to come

(24:40):
in their career. No.
And they both put in terrifying performances.
Very believable considering whatwe couldn't expect from them
down the line. Yeah.
And even Stanley Tucci's playingChicago's most Fiat Mafia head.
Yeah. Yeah.
Struggle to believe that one slightly.
He's. A little bit of a stretch.
But I think Mendez does great work in corks and these

(25:01):
loathsome performances out of Craig and out of Law as well,
who are largely affable actors. Yeah.
Craig and Law don't come out with any redeeming qualities.
They're just pure evil. But Hanks and Newman, he adds in
just many more layers of ambiguity.
We can see the good in Michael and in John, despite all of
their, you know, mad killings and stuff.

(25:22):
Yeah. And none of that is on the page.
Mendez often held shots for a beat or two longer than was
expected and just allow an emotion to hang in the scene
that little bit longer. And I think you can feel that.
Yeah, I think the genius comes from Caston 2 actors who we have
such affection for, which gives them an instant emotional
vulnerability, making it difficult to root against either

(25:43):
of them. No matter who wins, we lose one
way or another because we, thesetwo actors are beloved.
Yeah. And so we bring that emotional
baggage already because we're already in love with these two
actors. I think it's the classic case of
show don't tell. And I think the film is all the
better for. It's just subvert and
expectations all the way along. Yeah.
I think it's a real step up fromAmerican Beauty.

(26:04):
As we've said, he comes from a theatre background for that in
Spielberg. Ham picked him for American
Beauty, and I think if you go back and look at that film, you
can see his theatrical background.
This is all over that film. It's very interior.
That famous scene across the dining table with Spacey and
Annette Benin of the scenes are just in bedrooms and bathrooms
and offices. It's very kind of closeted and

(26:25):
the performance is quite theatrical.
It wouldn't take much to put that film on stage with minimal
changes. So to then move to something
like this and just a second filmwhich has such a scope to it is
something where I don't even know how you could put this on
stage would be entirely changed.I think it's hugely impressive
how Mendez makes that step up, but doesn't really miss any kind
of beat. And doing so, he turns the

(26:46):
performances down, he moves thatcamera a lot more.
He opens up the scale of it. He sets so many of the scenes
are outdoors and out on the openroad.
And it really feels like he's been doing it his entire career
at this point, not for the firsttime on only his second film.
And yes, granted he surrounded himself with the likes of Conrad
Hall, Thomas Newman, but all thesame, I don't ever feel like

(27:07):
they are carrying him through this.
I think he has that vision in the augmented and deliver it for
him. The not see him in the day for
him ever at any point. I think this film disputes he's
got a real cinematic eye. Yeah, I think he is the one
who's responsible for getting the best out of the cast and
crew. Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, I think for me it is the theatre background here and I
think it's the use of block and the use of frame and it's so

(27:28):
important and it puts you in that room or in that space.
It's the use of sets as well. I think the set design is
incredible because you can't really tell what to set isn't.
No, you can't. And like Matt was talking about
the American Beauty to me feels like a small town theatre.
And this feels like Broadway. He's just got, he's got a
bigger, he's got a bigger rig toplay with his lightnings a
little bit better. He's got a bigger stage that can

(27:48):
be, you know, you can rotate it round.
And I think what Conrad Hall brings to this is that it's a
bigger audience and he moves thecamera as an audience would
move, keeps it still when it needs to be still frames
everything impeccably. There's nothing in that frame
that shouldn't be there. The miss on sense, absolutely
spot on. Everything about this is so
assured and so well thought through.
When I compare this to American Beauty, I don't think it's

(28:10):
concise or it's considered in its edit or the way it flows.
I think a lot of this was done in the edit.
A lot of these, a lot of these decisions were made later on
based on how is this going to work?
How is this going to flow? So it doesn't have such a tight
knit structure for me, this filmactually, I do feel like it goes
open, it goes down. Mendez was very, very sure about
some parts. But I think when you watch this
in its entirety, you can see thebits where he's not too sure.

(28:32):
And he's it'd be, you can see it's his second film because I
think there's a lot of confidence in where it needs to
go a little bit darker. There's a lack of confidence
where the light moments are. And I think they're a bit too
late just in case people didn't get it.
Then there's some themes runningthrough this that he really,
really reinforces. And if you watch it a good
couple of times, it's just to me, a little bit hard hitting
and a little bit over the head when he's like, Michael Junior

(28:54):
is not going to be like his dad.That's the theme with the film.
It's like, I know and it's constantly reinforced,
constantly bang, bang to the last one of the last lines of
the film. It's like, I fucking get it.
Don't be so scared of the audience not getting it.
Because I think he thinks, well,if you get that, then you get
the film. I can make on the mistakes, but
that theme has to go all the waythrough it and really has to
work. It does kind of shave the edges

(29:15):
a little bit and take some of the sharpness out of some of the
scenes. I'll never tell you of seeing
that. I think it's an incredible
achievement for a second film, but without Conrad Hall I don't
think this has worked at all. Well, he certainly brings
something unique to it doesn't. Right.
Yeah, 100. Percent.
We'll be talking about him later, certainly.
Yeah, yeah. In Mendez encouraged this cast
to walk through their blocking without dialogue, allowing their
faces and body language to tell the story.

(29:36):
And that's tricky, picked up from his Theta days in this
approach, to pay a dividends in the scenes between Sullivan and
the Sun, because they often unfold through glances and
gestures as much as words. Yeah, it's a very.
Visual film, Yeah, 100% yeah. And drawing on his theatre
background, Mendez, along with Conrad Hall and the production
designer Dennis Gassner, spent seven months planning every

(29:57):
aspect of Rd. Editions visual design before a
single frame was shot. Yeah, incredible.
Gassner designed sets that wouldreinforce the visuals of the
film. The Rooney mansion was built on
a sound stage entirely out of grey and Blackstone, with
strategic pops of brown and green to avoid total
monochromia. Which is a shame.
Cheerful. Yeah, colored lenses were used

(30:19):
to further to saturate the woodwork, fabrics and props.
Even the car seen on screen werecarefully chosen, repainted to
match the films visual scheme, which really works for me.
It's. Beautiful.
Yeah, You can tell the detail and time that's gone into this.
Yeah, and Gastner sets were constructed to exacting
specifications inside the massive Armory building in
Chicago, and it was a former National Guard training facility

(30:41):
repurposed into a sprawling soundstage.
The Covenant space, loud haul, complete control of the light,
and which he kept intentionally oppressive and dank throughout.
Production did have to move on from the site later on though,
as the fire damaged it beyond repair.
Well. Make the Shiner.
Yeah, hello, Shiner. Despite extensive use of those
sets, the plan was always to make use of as many practical

(31:01):
locations as as possible. Chicago's faded Art Deco glamour
and factories scarred grittiness.
Pullman in particular. A neighborhood about 30 miles
South of Chicago, has a wealth of period accurate exteriors
that required very few changes. And production took over entire
city blocks, restoring buildingsand street cars to their former
1930s glory. Nice.

(31:23):
It just feels legitimate. It feels like in the 30s, yeah.
Yeah, it's very, very authentic.It is.
So Water Petition was based on agraphic novel of the same name
by Max Allen Collins, and we'll talk about that more later.
And after his published, Colin'sliterary agent sent a copy of it
to Dean Sanok, who was then a junior development executive
working for his legendary producer father, Richard D

(31:44):
Sannic. And obviously we know him for
producing the likes of Jaws, Cocoon, Dr. Miss Daisy, Yes,
yes, all the classics. All the classics straight Miss
Daisy, you know that's. Not an export.
It's pretty much all this film, isn't it?
Michael Sullivan, junior, aroundChicago.
Hasn't got quite the same ring to it as well, I mean.

(32:05):
You can tell I've never seen drive Miss Daisy.
Dean Zannick loved the book, showed his dad a copy who also
loved it, and bought the rights.Xanax Senior sent it to Steven
Spielberg, whose DreamWorks studio had a first look deal
with Xanax production company. And obviously Spielberg loved it
as well. Of course he did.

(32:26):
Of course he did get it in there.
Love. This.
Lone wolf and cub. I fancy this one.
The word is that Spielberg was interested in directing, but he
already had his hands full with other projects.
And this is where Sam Mendez comes in.
OK, so in the spring of 2000, hewas hot stuff on the back of his

(32:46):
Oscar win and featured filmmaking debut American
Beauty. Like we've discussed.
And because he was the hottest sticker in town, he had a number
of screenplays drawn his way, including A Beautiful Mind, K
Pax and The Ship and News K Pax,Not So Much Music in.
I think he's he's chose wisely here.
He did. He has.
Chosen wisely. He says.

(33:07):
I was looking for a story that was different from American
Beauty in almost everywhere. I didn't want to wake up and
find that I'd made the same filmtwice.
Yeah, and he was drawn to the contrast in dialogue to American
beauty, he said. It has a sparseness, A leanness
to it. It speaks in images rather than
words. It really does.
Yeah. Yeah.
He was inspired by the nonverbalsimplicity of things like Once
Upon a Time in America, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,

(33:29):
Kurosawa's all of Kurosawa's films.
All of them, yeah. Yeah, and he also loved the
father son dynamic and the family element of the story, but
not the mafia family in it. And he said on the surface it's
a very simple story of a father and son's journey, but actually
it's a film about a father who'strying to turn the son into
something other than himself. It's about the battle for the
boys soul. Yes, a point that you've made, W

(33:52):
Ian. Yeah, the film makes many times.
Many times when Mendez met with Richard D Zanuck, he said
something that was music to Xanax is he said, I don't want
to make a film about guns. I want to make a film about
fathers and sons. Wow.
Very nice sons and roses love it.

(34:15):
The Sons of Navarone, So an important step in the career of
Sam Mendez, who made possibly his best film so far.
Definitely the cast. A cast full of talent.
We're talking about Hanks, Newman, and child prodigy Tyler

(34:37):
Heckman. In the words of the great man
himself, we're firstly talking about Don Mustache with a hat
on. Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan
senior. Indeed, at this point in his
career, Hanks was probably the biggest actor on the planet. 2O
wins under his belt. The nicest man on the planet.
Everybody loves Hanks. Yeah.
Yes, What about you? Wesley Hanks is Michael
Sullivan, senior. Big fan.

(34:57):
I mean, I was a big fan, Hanks, at this point, because we've had
Saving Private Ryan up and now that thing you do now, you know
which I absolutely love that this performance is wonderful.
It's against tape. Is Hank scared to go a little
bit too far into the role? Is he skirting on the outskirts
and doesn't want to be a complete badass?
Are you threatened by him or is it still Tom Hanks?

(35:18):
Does it actually work? Is it that deep?
It's on the cost. A lot of questions.
I think it's on the line. I think there's some elements
where if it wasn't mentioned that he was a war hero, I think
would lose all that dynamic where he has that regret and
that pain about killing people. He kills people out of love for
John Rooney and that's that's why he does it, because he feels
like he owes and. Yeah, debt of gratitude isn't.

(35:39):
It Yeah. And he's good at killing people
and he doesn't want to be. He wants to be a better father
and he doesn't know how to be. So I think there's all of that
conflict which really comes across.
But I think the way that the film sold, and I think why it's
so divisive, I think is because of Hank's performance.
So I think it's very conflicted with how you think this
character behaves. I think he's very conflicted
character. And I think that's what Hanks

(35:59):
was trying to get across, that it isn't just A1 dimensional.
I'm a gangster who kills people.No, there's a lot of levels
here. Is the film long enough to
explore all those levels? Is there enough that happens in
the film where he gets to reallypursue that and really push
that? I don't know if it does.
I think it might just be a bit fast for the amount of depth
that he tries to bring to the character does work Expect that
dynasty, and that works for me, absolutely.

(36:21):
The death of Fanny and Peter, that really works for me.
That strikes home. Even when he's just telling them
which churches to go to. That really strikes home and he
reaches over the bloods on his hand.
He's all these little nuanced bits and all them bits really
work, but those are the bits where it feels like it was a bit
of a missed opportunity. And he just kind of turns into
Tom Hanks and he just kind of pulls the parachute a little
bit. And you know, there's a safety

(36:41):
if you just have Tom Hanks. So I think it's down to Mendez
as well as Hanks being like, at which point can I go?
At which point am I going to be reined back in a little bit?
At which point am I going to fall back in just the Tom Hanks
that everybody knows to make thefilm safe?
And I think there's there is that element of him stepping
forward and stepping back. But I think a lot of people are
conflicted with that. If you just accept that and
realize you're not going to get all the answers from this

(37:02):
character to realize they're notspoiler alert, but he's going to
die with questions that need to be asked about who he was and
what his motivations were and how confused his life was.
If you can handle that and you're OK with that, you'll
really enjoy this film. And I can handle that and I'm OK
with that. But I think there's a lot of
people who aren't. And if Hanks had played this any
straight without all them elements of depth, I don't think
we'd still be talking about the film now.
I think it really, really works.But another half an hour on it,

(37:25):
he might just the nailed it completely.
Possibly. I just think that it's Tom Hanks
and he never stops being Tom Hanks in the film.
Well, the story is that. Yeah.
What, does he kill at least 15 people in the film?
Yeah. In cold blood, yeah.
But he doesn't disappear, Andrew.
What he's the most believable asthe character is when you don't
see it's Tom Hanks doing the shooting, you just see the

(37:45):
effects of it. Yeah, that's right.
That's perfect. Yeah.
That's the character. That's Michael Sullivan.
I think unfortunately he just keeps you at arms length because
it is Hanks. Yeah, I understand that, Yeah.
I mean, still brilliant and he still plays the new ones of the
character great, I think, yeah. And Hanks was Mendez's first
choice for the role of Michael Senior, and he said he saw in
Hanks's innate likeability the chance to craft an anti hero
whose gradual humanization mightsneak up on audiences.

(38:08):
He said I wanted to slowly reveal his character rather than
pushing her to the foreground. Hanks wasn't looking for a bad
guy role, but he responded favorably to the scripts.
Father son themes, of course. Yeah, at the time, he was a
father of four, including a young son not much older than
the character of Michael Junior.So the idea of struggling to
keep his son from following in his father's dark footsteps

(38:29):
struck chord. Yeah, not that he's got dark
footsteps. It's Tom Hanks for goodness,
Yeah. Yeah, and Hanks also loved the
idea of the strong silent type amount of actions, not words.
Almost like a western style gunslinger.
Mendez saw Hanks casting as an opportunity to subvert his *
persona and audiences expectations of his character.
Mendez said. You see him as an anonymous

(38:49):
silhouette before you see him asTom Hanks.
It's like he's coming out of an old myth or a forgotten dream.
I mean, a very romanticized version of the film that it's
there if you really want to lookfor it.
But I mean, yeah, I mean, but you'll be searching a while 10th
page of Google if you're searching for that.
Mendez keeps Sullivan at arm's length from the audience at the

(39:11):
start of the film, never really shown his face fully in frame.
It's only gradually, as his relationship with the sun
becomes stronger, do we see morefangs behind the shadows.
A specific choice, and I think that's effective for the film.
To further distance the character from his movie star
charisma, Mendez asked Hanks to adopt A period appropriate
pencil moustache and slick his hair.
Back contact lenses turned the act as blue eyes brown, further

(39:34):
muddy in his appearance. Yes.
And of course, you've mentioned the prosthetic nose, which,
yeah, feels like an indulgence to be quite honest.
Yeah, an unnecessary indulgence.Yeah, yeah.
So a very surprising role for Hanks in 2002, or any time for
that matter. It's certainly the darkest role
in his career, a career which isall the better for it.

(39:55):
Yeah. Oh yeah.
Really is. Next up, bonafide Hollywood
royalty, the legend that was andalways will be Paul Newman as
John Rooney. Another top of the list cast and
choice, the legendary Paul Newman, 77 years old at the
time. This was his beautiful swan
song. Matt, it's over to you.

(40:15):
I mean, what you're doing when you cast Newman in this is you
bring in the weird of an iconic 50 year career to this role.
You're bringing in someone who'salready head and shoulders above
everyone else on screen, even Tom Hanks at this point, I would
say. And there's an ingrained respect
to that. And that's what Newman brings
when he starts talking, everyoneshould show up and pays
attention instantly. And there's no question that

(40:36):
John is a man to be feared underneath that kind of unclear
image that he has. Like when they have not sit down
at the table and he thumps that table in.
Angrid Connor, you would like toapologise?
Try again. You can see everyone around that
table holding their breath. Yeah, so do we because we don't
know where this is going. And we know John is steeped in

(40:57):
blood to hold the position that he does.
That was an ad Lib from Newman as well, wasn't it?
Was it? He just said the Mendez.
He said I'm going to do something.
He's like, well, what you say I'm just going to do something.
Then again, when you hit that table, you can see every because
just the stuff lives off. Oh yeah, properly, everybody
surprised. Yeah.
And I think the the take of Daniel Craig to standing up and
being gentlemen, my apologies, was straight after that, which,

(41:19):
yeah, excellent, real. No, it's incredible scene.
But at the same time, as we've been saying, this is guy who
played Butch Cassidy and Cool Hand Luke.
He's played so many good guys and he's got so much movie
charisma and he's still got thattwinkle in his eye here, like
when he's playing dice for Michael's boys and he's just
been the lovable uncle of the lovable granddad.
It's not an act. That's also who he is and that

(41:40):
makes him much more interesting than just being an out and out
cold blooded murderer. And ultimately you're talking
about a character not in it thatmuch really, but he's got to
leave an indelible impression. If everything I've talked about
there, all those different elements that constitute this
man who strikes the fear of God and the people one minute and
then he just makes kids laugh the next, Yes, you can only have

(42:01):
very few actors who can do that instantly.
And Paul Newman was one of them.And yes, as we've been saying,
he would go on and do voices forthe Pixel movies, cars and the
sequels, but this is his last onscreen performance.
And I can't think of any other actor who obviously unknowingly
took their leave with one of their very best performances.
You know, I mean, what an actor he was, what a career he had and

(42:23):
what a way to sign off. Yeah, well said.
It's some end chapter, isn't it?Oh, really?
Is, Yeah. And for an old man, he still
packs some wallop. Doesn't.
He he's posture, you can just see he's like Atlas.
He's just holding up the whole world.
But if you believe he could do it, it's like it's fantastic.
And he's final words in the filmas well.
When we get into that scene. I'm glad it's You are kidding.

(42:44):
Yes, man. Yeah.
Yeah, those are his last on screen words as well.
Wow. Yeah.
Mendez saw Newmans weathered face and world weary eyes, the
embodiment of his character JohnRooney, most powerful man in
town, now reduced to petty in family squabbling as his empire
disintegrates along with his relationships with his
biological and adopted sons. I love that setup, that dynamic.

(43:08):
Yeah, that layering of the the sons, biological adopted sons.
Fantastic stuff, yeah. Newman was intrigued by the
script, finding echoes of his own portrayal of pool hall
hustler Fast Eddie Felson in TheHustler and in The Color of
Money. Certainly got the ambiguity.
He's not. He's not straight up and down,
is he? As Eddie Felson.
No, and then to help capture Rooneys Irish accent, Newman

(43:31):
drafted in Angeles Ashes author and Irish native Frank McCourt.
Newman had record record all of his lines so he could study the
cadences and rhythm of a native speaker.
Nice. Yeah, he would go into his
trailer and listen back to the tapes kind of systematically to
make sure he wasn't fever and off course.
Yeah. Right.
Nice. Any intimidation Hanks may have
felt acting opposite a screen legend such as Newman quickly

(43:53):
eased as Newman and he fell intoa deep, loving relationship
friendship. Yeah, nice, Yeah.
And they were 25 years apart. But they bonded over shared
affinity with race car driving and games of badminton.
Hanks called Newman Pop and Newman reciprocated with son.
Oh, very nice, you have. Beautiful, isn't it?

(44:14):
Yeah, I'm just going to have to brush up with me badminton and
race car drivers in case I meet somebody I need to be very good
friends with because I would be fucked in that scenario.
Imagine you get the meat. Who would be your ultimate?
It would be someone like Bobby Duvall for me.
Oh yeah. Well, Wesley, I mean, I think

(44:35):
he's, he's more like 50 years you're saying.
And if he's still doing badminton, I think.
Yeah, still in good nick. Great Nick.
Great, Nick. That's how he got in a great
neck for Apocalypse Now. The original Great Nick.
It's playing playing badminton on the beach one day during
film, and cinematographer ConradHall was setting up a shot of

(44:58):
Paul Newman through his viewfinder.
He broke down in tears. When asked what was wrong, Hall
said. He was so beautiful.
He was so beautiful. Wow.
Wow. Incredibly, and this has taken
on extra poignancy because Wrotea Petition was the final film
that worked on together, having collaborated on four others
including Cool Hand Luke and which casting this.

(45:20):
Incredible stuff. So a top performance, one of
Newman's best, and a fit and weird to end such an illustrious
career. Live action, at least.
Really. Was.
Next, a child actor, an unknown in a cast of huge names.
But Tyler Heckling more than held his own as Michael Junior.
Now, I wasn't expecting much from Heckling on the 1st watch.

(45:43):
To be honest, I kind of already made me mind up that it was a
child actor's performance. He's just going to get swallowed
by this huge cast. But I was happily blown away by
him. For a 14 year old kid to hold
his own against Hanks and Newmanis remarkable enough, but he he
does more than just keep up. Those eyes of his are doing some
incredible work throughout the film.

(46:04):
You can see in process and everything the violence, the
revelation about his father, theloss of his mother and brother.
He can fears all of that confusion and fear without ever
overplaying it or overstating it.
And what I love most is how he shows Michael Junior gradually
harden as the film progresses. At the beginning, he's obviously
this innocent kid playing with his brother.

(46:25):
By the end of the point that youmade, Matt, there's something
different behind those eyes. Not quite adult, but no longer a
child either. And he charts that
transformation just fantastically well.
The moment where he drives away with his dad's shot, he's
processing what's just happened,his face gradually crumpling as
the reality hits. It's heartbreaking to watch a

(46:46):
child with this kind of cherubicface.
I think most adult actors would struggle with that level of
emotional complexity, but he nails it.
And he doesn't ever feel like a typical movie kid.
There's no kind of like smart ass cautious dialogue or forced
wisdom beyond his years. Yeah, exactly.
I mean, from this part, 2002. Imagine if this was like Hayley

(47:07):
Joel Osmond of the back of the 6th century.
Like, what on earth? It'd just be far too much.
It just feels very, very natural.
He just feels like a real boy trying to understand an
incomprehensible situation. And the chemistry between him
and Hanks that feels genuinely paternal.
You believe that these two are father and son, which is
essential for the film to work. Mendez asked Hanks and Heckland

(47:29):
to improvise dialogue for the scenes of bonding on the road.
And that conversation beside thefire about nature of good and
evil was largely the result of this improvised approach.
Right. It just works fantastically.
It does. Yeah.
I think he's just made for the big screen.
He's just got that look. And he reminds me a little bit
of Christopher Cerrone, who plays the young Henry Hill and

(47:49):
Goodfellas. Oh.
He does. Yeah, similar look.
Kind of like almost like cherubic, those piece and eyes.
Yeah, amazing. The voice overs are quite
similar as well. Yeah, they are.
I think it's one of the most underrated child performances,
one which definitely gets lost under the weight of Newman
Hanks, Conrad Hall, Sam Mendez, all of that.
Yeah, Buddy, Scrape. And the search for the right

(48:10):
child to play Michael Sylvan Junior was epic and scope.
Over 2000 young actors from across the US and Canada
audition for the role and this was eventually narrowed down to
200 contenders and each submitted a screen test opposite
Hanks. Yeah, and these were whittled
down to 20 semi finalists flown out of Chicago for in personal
auditions from this group. 13 year old Tyler Heckman was can't
pick by Mendez and knocking his reading out of the park.

(48:33):
Yeah, I mean, that's a lot for Tom Hanks to contend with, isn't
it? 20 semi finalists.
Yeah. The little shit I've got us
alongside. But to help build their natural
father son dynamic further, Mendez had Hanks and Heckland
spend loads of weeks off camera.They played catch.
They worked on improving Heckland's driving skills, and

(48:55):
by the time the cameras were ready to roll, their
relationship just felt lived in.Felt really.
Yeah. Yeah.
They play badminton. No badminton, and that was
reserved just for Newman. Just for Newman, fair enough.
Yes, fair enough. Yeah.
Heckler went on to find success in television, landed major
roles in family drama 7th Heavenand the supernatural teen spin
off series Teen Wolf, but he waseventually cast as Clark Kent in

(49:16):
Supergirl and the spin off Superman and Lewis.
So he's done well for himself ifhe hasn't been a presence really
in film after this. So a superb cast on a road
edition. We've talked about Daniel Craig,
we briefly mentioned Jennifer, Jason Lee and there are more to
come. But in Hanks and Newman you've
got 2 screen legends, and in Heckland we've got a
considerably underrated child performance.

(49:37):
Three of the best. Yes, very good.
The middle. We've seen the initial
devastation of Connor's actions,and now we get the ripple
effect, starting with the Rooneys Westie.
Yeah, I mean, their reaction is quite a reaction, isn't it?
The only reaction is quite a fucking thing.

(49:58):
So yeah, this is just an it's a very, very short scene, but one
that I always remembered when I left the cinema.
It's one that's always stuck with this.
And I think it's just the way that Newman just owns this and
attacks it and the way that it'slit in the way that it's shot.
He has that strip of light on his face where you see just
enough emotion, but it's almost like he hasn't got the energy
left. And this is just one thing.

(50:18):
Just don't get anything else wrong and I'll live the rest of
my life doing things right. And you've fucked it now.
You've fucked everything. And just the lines are amazing.
It's just the delivery of these lines.
Yes, I curse the fucking day youwere born.
And he's like Rippy. I fucking curse it.
It's like he really means it. Craig's reaction here where he's
just, he's just a wimp. He's just a whimpering mess.

(50:39):
He doesn't stand up for anything.
He doesn't say what he's done isright.
He knows what he's done is wrong.
His dad knows that this is what he's going to be like when he's
gone. This is what he's Empire's left.
This is his legacy left to this guy.
And he's just all of that frustration and what, like 3
minutes. And it's the way that he turns
from the beaten to the God help us to the Father, embrace full,
God help us, God help us. And he's like, that's it.

(51:02):
Now I just don't know what to do.
It is just really, really powerful because their
performance reinforces Michael Sullivan's character.
Yeah. They're now scared, he's now
scared, really scared, and you think, oh shit, what is he
capable of? What we're going to see from
now? And it really sets up the second
act and really starts the film rolling.
That God help us line. That's the line he repeats

(51:22):
later. Yeah, yeah.
With Nitty, isn't it? Yeah.
Yes, with Nitty, yeah, that reinforces what you're seeing.
Like what is Michael capable of?But it reinforces the religious
imagery which is just coursing through the film as.
Well, it is, yeah, 100%. But in the next scene, we see
that Mike Senior has ice runningthrough his veins.
This house is not our home anymore.
It's just an empty building. He leaves behind the broken

(51:45):
dreams of half of his family in a heartbeat.
He knows that if he shows any weakness, it'll be Michael
Junior who suffers. Great.
That symbolism of the bike as well, just leaving his childhood
in the snow. Yeah, yeah, that's great.
Great shot. And then after that, an
incredibly swift scene. Mike visits Jack Kelly to find
out where Connor is. Kelly plays it as cool as a

(52:06):
cucumber because he doesn't think he's in any danger.
And neither do we, because this is Tom Hanks.
Yeah. And that's the great trick that
Mendez pulls throughout the film.
It's Tom Hanks. He's not a cold blooded killer.
But. Oh, I beg to differ.
He is you. Give John a message.
What is it? Bang.
Cold blooded execution from Joshua Baskin.

(52:26):
Unbelievable. Now anything's possible.
Yeah, that camera pushing as well is just beyond genius.
Who? Really.
Is it? Is that moment?
Yeah. Quick zoom?
Yeah, great. Yeah, and then the same that I'm
going for comes after this, and it's slightly longer.
And, you know, I picked this onefor the obvious reason, which is
my deep Biden for the Untouchables, of which Frank
Niddy, played by Billy Drago, was a huge part.

(52:48):
And I know what you said earlierabout Stanley Tucci, isn't it?
He doesn't quite work. But actually I really like this
custom because for me, it's the contrast.
You know, this isn't the horrible assassin you got with
the Palmer. That's true.
You know, I mean, tips, he's always excellent.
But I think Nitty shows the reason why Capone got away with
so much is because he put on thefront of being a businessman and

(53:09):
he ran his empire like it was a business.
So Nitty, he's like a HR managerhere.
He's got a secretary, He's got awhole line of people with a
whole host of grievances that the one pass him say, right,
I'll see him first, then get that guy in.
And like, if anyone's ever held any position of management,
you're part of the job is havingdifficult conversations with
someone, which is obviously ramped up by what the

(53:31):
conversations are about. You know, and there's so much
great dialogue here. You know, will one more body
make a difference? That's great.
The whole scene where Laser Michael, what the ramifications
will be if he goes through this door.
All that loyalty and all that trust will no longer exist for
you. Just really well spoken black
and white. But it's not a threat.

(53:51):
It's so rationally and calmly explained to him.
And as he says, he's not protecting Connor, who were
protecting our interests, Mike. So it really lets you know where
everyone stands in this film going forward.
Yeah, yeah, Really. It gives you the hierarchy of
this organization. Yeah, there's that amazing shot
when they come into Chicago. They labeled the Dorothy
arriving in Hall's shot where Michael Junior first sees the

(54:15):
Chicago skyline. They used a complex 3 camera rig
to capture a 180° background place and the cameras were set
up in an overlap and a rear and the resultant footage was
stitched together to create a a wrap around environment that
could be mapped onto the car windows in perspective as the
main camera moved around with the vehicle.

(54:35):
Unbelievable stuff. Yeah, it's fantastic.
A really complex shot. That's how you see Ji as well,
to reinforce the story. Yeah.
Incredible stuff. And Tucci was hesitant to take
on the role at first, as he generally avoided playing
gangster parts to sidesteps, stereotype and of Italian
Americans. However, the chance to work with
director Sam Mendez oddly convinced Tucci to accept the
part. And there's a deleted scene from

(54:56):
the film with Anthony La Paglia is Al Capone.
But it was good because Mendez thought that Capone was far more
menacing is an unseen presence and Alfred Molina was originally
in the frame for the world. But he could make it because the
scheduling conflicts you. Would have been good.
He would have been great. Lopaglia.
Wow. Yeah, yeah, he's great.
So with the rejection from Nitty, the Sullivans are out on

(55:17):
their own and losing friends fast.
The walls are closing in on the Sullivans and there's someone
else they need to worry about. And that man is Weasel.
Fierce sneak. Harlan McGuire.
Good description. There's a wonderful kind of

(55:38):
reverse Dolly shot of him walking under the train tracks
in the opening shot. Yeah, Almost like we're being
forced into an introduction we don't want.
It's really, really good. Yeah, it's really great.
And with that music as well, it's really unsettling.
It is Harlan, such a nasty pieceof work, who takes pictures of
dead bodies, even finishing the job of some of them if they
haven't quite popped off. This scene where he first

(56:01):
suffocates that guy with a knifein him kind of reminds me a
little bit of Holy Grail, Monty Python bring out your dead.
I feel happy but he's such an odd character.
Really seedy pictures of actual dead people hanging up in his

(56:21):
house. Yeah, yeah.
So we know he's not to be trifled with.
It's a really great character intro.
Jude Law was obviously piping hot when he was cast in the
film. A heartthrob, you might even
say. So a credit to him that he was
willing to push against this persona for the role of Alan
McGuire. He needed to be immoral and
repulsive, Law said. There's something stinky about

(56:44):
him. He's like a bad smell.
Yeah, he is awful. Yeah, to achieve the desired
rodent like quality, Law parked on a few extra pounds, makeup
artist Fern Butchner give him Park Market skin, rotten teeth
and greasy comb over. I mean, he's here is ludicrous.
And I think that was down to to Jude Law as well.
Just wanting to have that kind of vibe.

(57:04):
Yeah, he really. Yeah, that heartthrob persona
that you had the contact lenses turned his eyes and that ice
blue, Mendez said. We wanted to have ACD
countenance. And you got that?
And as mentioned, the walls of his rented room and dark room
were decorated with the sieves of graphic real life crime scene
photographs in 1930 Chicago. The black and white images were

(57:26):
carefully chosen to evoke the work of famed Tab like
photographer author Weegee Fellig because he was a
freelance photographer from the era whom Holland was based on.
Yes, yeah, Ouija got his name. A riff on the term Ouija because
he eerily managed to reach crimescenes before the authorities.
Somebody suspect that he had an almost clairvoyant sense for

(57:46):
when and where crimes would happen, but in reality he paid
for tip offs through the emergency services and sold his
pictures to the press. OK, he was a bastard.
Yeah. I mean, I'll just continue
talking about Jude Law because when everyone mentions this, for
me it's the dynasty I think of first and foremost.
Outstanding, yeah. Outstanding.

(58:06):
Believable. Because when Water Petition
wants to really wind up the tension, it really does it
effectively. And I think this seems the best
example of that because I think there's this ambiguity of Harlan
and Michael in the scene. What do they know about each
other? You know, I don't know.
Has McGuire underestimated Michael here?
Or is he simply enjoying the thrill of the chase?

(58:27):
And he likes the fact that, you know, maybe Michael recognizes
him because Michael straight away sees the red flags
everywhere. Soon as he sits down, it's like
his ears prick up, the yellow teeth, that false trollery he
has with the waitress, which is completely insincere.
And that same in sincerity, carries into the conversation
that they have because we know McGuire knows who Michael is,

(58:49):
but we're not sure if Michael knows who McGuire is.
And if he does, does McGuire in turn know that?
So you're not quite sure who hasthe upper hand here?
That's great. Yeah.
Because if he does, then this whole conversation, they have to
be paid to do what you love. And that the dream, it's got a
whole different context to it. And the way McGuire goes machine

(59:09):
parts, that's wonderful. Can barely keep the sarcasm out
of his voice. I say I think he's enjoying the
thrill of the chase. I don't think he cares if he's
giving himself away. I think I get from the character
as well as like, I'm going to use that.
That's fucking brilliant. Yeah, that's excellent.
That as well, and I love the simplicity that Mendez shoots

(59:29):
this with. Just that simple back and forth,
nothing elaborate, nothing Troy,just very simple shots.
Until bam that revelation. I shoot the dead, Dead bodies,
that is, and then you get just that single bead of sweat so
slowly trickling down Michael's face, because every question
from McGuire now was so loaded with menace and double mean.
And you know when he saw him about the dead bodies, You never

(59:51):
seen one terrible thing. But the cheer makes you feel
alive, don't it? So this whole thing, it just
dances that line of ambiguity ofwhat does one counter know about
the other, and does the other counter in turn realise that
they've been made by the other? Because McGuire was certainly
caught up by Michael subtly swiping that knife away.
And I think Mendez just draws the scene out magnificently.

(01:00:11):
Yeah, sound design and the scenes unbelief.
I just love the introduction of the carrot.
He's loading that camera like he's loading a gun and puts it
on the table. He's right in front of him.
Yeah. Hanks does a real good job of
playing dumb. Yeah Yeah.
And not alerting him that he's under love it, Yeah.
Mendez encouraged Jude Law to find some dark humour in McGuire
and he effectively played him asthe Wiley Coyote to Hanks's

(01:00:35):
Roadrunner. Nice, that's.
Great. That's great.
The deal of the boat, that wholediner online as well that is
found. It right?
Yeah, it's great. I might look into that. 2020
grand, isn't it? Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, Unbelievable. It's a great set.
It is amazing. Yeah.
So we'll go from that scene. Is it the last?
We're going to see if McGuire. I'm not too sure.

(01:00:56):
But we still have to wait. And we're going to the Robin
Banks. This is what we need to do next.
You know, even Rocky had a montage, so we kind of need to
put that in there somewhere. This is where it slightly comes
off the boil for me. It feels like it's a little bit
too light hearted. It feels like it's a little bit
too much of A breath of fresh air.

(01:01:17):
I'd know that it might be neededand that's OK, but is it a
little bit over long? Is it just pulling the car up
really slowly? Is that just a little bit too
funny for what we're trying? To do a bit like, oh brother,
isn't it? A little bit, yeah.
But I mean, oh, brother had thattone and it did not want to dip
in and out of it. And it doesn't go too far to
kind of say, you know, did you get that?
It's light hearted now. You can relax for a bit.

(01:01:39):
You know, you there's always there elements where it could
snap back in here. I don't feel like it's ever
going to snap back here. You feel like you've got a good
1520 minutes to kind of get yourbreath back, right.
We've been through, and I don't know if I like that or not.
I think the first time I saw it maybe.
But I've seen a lot of films that have been a lot heavier
than this and have been just, you know, the pace of it and
putting you through it all to some kind of conclusion.

(01:02:02):
And I feel like it's just a bit too much of A light touch for
me. There's a level of threat and
the lack of threat just completely disappears at this
point. Yeah, you don't feel like
anything bad is going to happen.So for me, it kind of dips here.
I lose attention a little bit, and that might be because it's
kind of broad daylight, the lightness.
It's not a strike and it's not as atmospheric, It's not as
emotional. Just a little.

(01:02:22):
Just to keep that sense of threat just behind the scenes
would have been good for me. Yeah, I think it does serve a
good purpose in that it's building up the relationship
between the two Michaels. Yeah.
Yeah, I do like that. However, I think that that's
kind of blunted with the scene later on that I'm going to talk
about, but we'll talk about thatlater on.
OK, OK. And one of the first scenes
filmed was this montage of Sullivan and his son Robin

(01:02:45):
Banks, cross cut with newsreel footage of Herbert Hoover's
inauguration speech. And this were quite seamless,
indicating between colour and monochrome footage re screen
projection in hidden camera cars.
Yeah, it's one of the most complex scenes in the film.
It's certainly the most joyous, whether you like it or not.
Fair enough. Yeah.
I think it adds some much neededlevity to the film, but if you

(01:03:08):
like it, then make the most of it because that won't last long.
Yeah, no, it's not a lot. No, no.
The crew, a very talented, classy crew on Road Edition.
The cinematography and music arecoming, but first, it's the
screenplay by David Self, adapted from the 1998 graphic

(01:03:30):
novel of the same name. Matt, your thoughts on the
screenplay? I think it feels very surprising
that this comes from a graphic novel.
It's not something like Sin City, for example, where you're
watching it go, yes, I see that working visually on a page or
something else physically holding me hand and turn over.
Yeah, 300. Yeah. 300, yeah.

(01:03:51):
This, I've done so much and you know, I have gone and looked at
it online and read a bit and again, it doesn't strike me as
something you'd immediately go, yes, put this into a script now
it's going to work. So I think probably the most
impressive thing is how they've identified the elements that
won't just translate visually but also translate into theme
and plot and structure. I mean, we've said already so
much in here about fathers and sons carrying the sins of the

(01:04:14):
fathers, the ramifications of violence, all intertrined with a
lot of great dialogue as well. I think the dialogue really
stands out and I think like muchof the film, it's just about the
simplicity of it. It's very stripped back.
It's very down the line, which is maybe the one element where
more seeds root in the graphic novel because that format, I
think it tends to be quite simple because of the nature of
it. So I think for self to pick up

(01:04:36):
on all of that and then expand on it the way he has done.
But then that's Mendez and Hall expand on it even further in a
visual sense. It's very good job indeed.
Yeah, I think for me, it's theseelements of dialogue that is
kind of grounded in the authenticity, but it's also the
exploration of like the family dynamic with a really dark tone,

(01:04:56):
a really shadow tone. You know, it's not showing the
the positive side of the family dynamic.
It's shown the grief and the pain and the heartbreak that you
have to go through and hold a family together through it sort
issue on that other side of it. And what I get from this, I
mean, I've got the graphic novel, but I've not read all the
way through it because to me it's just so different.
So it's it's really different intone.

(01:05:16):
It was harder. It's a lot harder of a story.
It's a lot more harsh in its tone.
And I think that's what Self wastrying to get at.
I think he did have that dark tone on the page.
And I think that works visually when it's gone over the Conrad
Hall and it's gone to Sam Mendes.
But I do think that it has been softened quite a bit.
I think this sort of been great on paper because you would
imagine it, right? OK, You know, father and son go
and start robbing the banks and start taking away all the

(01:05:38):
gangland's money, and they're just trying to disrupt
everything. And you just think, right,
that's going to be strong, That's going to work.
And then for that to be then turned into a montage.
And visually, I don't know if that kind of takes it away.
I think it's all there. There's some incredible dialogue
and there's some really great things and really great themes
that are being explored. And I don't really think this is
a screenplay where people have gone.
Anyone could be in this film andit works.

(01:06:00):
I think if you if you read the screenplay and you have two
people that are cast wrong and you don't have Conrad Hall
shooting it, you don't have Thomas Newman doing the score
and you don't have Mendez sitting on the edit as much as
he did. And you know, being very
meticulous about what works where.
I think this works because it's a complex jigsaw.
Self has all the pieces, but I think his jigsaw looked very,
very different to what Mendez does with the pieces.

(01:06:22):
Yeah, we've talked about it's a very visual film and I think the
screenplay gives the framework for Mendez's visuals and I'm
just a big fan of the layers in the writing and the double mean
into everything underpinning this incredible multi layered
father son narrative. Like we talked about the
position of the title is literaland metaphorical.
It's the place where Michael's aunt lives and it's going to be

(01:06:43):
their literal safe haven. But the word petition means hell
or damnation. So when they get there, the
devil metaphorically comes for his Jew and Michael Senior
doesn't make it. Of course, again, I mean that's
a beautiful thing when you look at the right and having that as
the place at the go on, but it'sonly mentioned once and it's not
done subtly. No, no it's not.
It's like slam down your throat,like the ideas great sort of

(01:07:04):
when right, let's have them see it.
It's in petition and then the whole it's almost like the stop
a minute and look at the audience go.
Do you know what petition is? Are you understand what that is
right, let's move on yes, there's no some reason that
direction. Did you get it?
And I think that there's a lot of that all the way through this
film. Yeah, there is.
There's a bit of heavy handedness, I would say.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's the sins of his past
catch matching up with him, Michael, since the past that he

(01:07:26):
doesn't want to pass on to his son.
They've travelled on this road to hell together.
And Michael Senior is trying to protect his son from falling
into this world that is hammeredhole.
Yes, Yeah. And ultimately, you know,
Michael Senior had to die. It's in the title of the film.
But he can die a happy man that the chain has been broken and
his son is not on the same path as him.

(01:07:47):
But I also love the complexitiesin the father son narrative that
are taken one step further when looking at John Rooney.
Michael isn't his son, but he's got a better relationship with
him than his actual son Connor. But ultimately blood is thicker
than water and bad decisions aremade despite how destructive
they are. I think John knows he's going to
die, but he can't turn his back on his son, no matter how
horrifically he's behaved. So it's the ties that bind us

(01:08:11):
together. And it all tapped into that
quote from the film. Sons were put on this earth to
trouble their fathers. Yeah, in one way or another,
that's exactly what the film's about.
Rooney is damned by his son. Sullivan is saved by his.
Yeah. So I do like the right in there,
particularly from unlikely source material.
There's some real depth to the right in here for me, yes.
As mentioned, Wrote a Petition is based on the graphic novel of

(01:08:33):
the same name written by Max Allen Collins in 1998,
illustrated by Richard Pierce Reyna Collins drew inspiration
from a number of sources. One was the 70s manga series
Lone Wolf and Cub. There you go.
That tells a story of a disgraced 17th century assassin
who travels the country seeking revenge with his infant son and
tour. I mean, it's the Mandalone.

(01:08:53):
It's been coming. It's coming around again and
again and again, isn't it? It's always there.
Another inspiration was the trials and tribulations of real
life Midwestern gangsters John Patrick Looney and his Doom son
Connor. John Looney.
John Rooney. I see what they did there.
I get Yes. Connor was murdered by his
rivals, supposedly in an attemptto assassinate his father.

(01:09:14):
John Looney managed to survive the attack, but his criminal
organization crumbled in the aftermath.
Yeah. So Spielberg drafted in
screenwriter Dave itself to adapt it for the screen because
he'd been impressed by his work on 13 Days, which is a really
great film, by the way. It is great.
He later commissioned him to write the screenplay for the
remake of The Horton. Less said about that one the
better though, because there were significant rewrites on

(01:09:36):
that. That's right.
Yeah. So really self can't be blamed
as such. So individually, yes, Self was a
lifelong comic book fan who had once interned at Marvel Comics,
were under the legendary right artist Frank Miller, and through
various rewrite Self screenplay moved away from the source
material. The nuts and bolts remained, but

(01:09:56):
there was some big changes. So Newman's character kept the
surname of the mobster he was based on, John Looney.
And you've lost character HarlemMcGuire.
He's little more than a footnotein the novel.
There's a big difference in the depiction of violence.
It was significantly toned down for the film with some scenes
being removed completely. And Collins novel Michael Junior
kills someone whereas he does not in the film.

(01:10:17):
Yeah, well, I mean, that's what this entire film is built on.
Yeah, and I think at the end he turns into a preacher, isn't he?
That's right, Yes, he does. He has a confession and that's
how it ends. That's correct, yes.
And that was a scene that was shot for the film but didn't
make it. That's a bit too far, and it's.
Yes, it is. Iconography, I think.
It is definitely. Yeah, we get it.
Yes, I understand that. I'm fucking surprised it's not

(01:10:39):
in there to be honest. Yeah, so I think the change is
mostly served to kind of move away from the pulpy crime saga
that the novel is and give it a more of a pristine Sheen.
That's what Mendez wanted to do.Yeah, it's more of that deaf
touch, isn't it? Definitely.
Well, with that we have our first question from an ATRM

(01:11:00):
patron. OK.
And then we mentioned at the top, become an ATRM Patreon
supporter. You can ask the questions of the
film that we're talking about. And this first one comes from
Ryan Douglas. Hello, Ryan.
Hello, Ryan. Ryan Says wrote Petition has one
of the great underrated film quotes in his opinion.
So this is the life we chose, the life we lead.

(01:11:20):
There is only one guarantee. None of us will see Heaven with
Sullivan Reply and Michael couldfantastic.
Yeah, yeah, wonderful. What underrated film quotes are
your favorite? So I'll pick this straight away.
Yep, up your street, this one. Yeah, yeah, straight.
Away Everyone that we do together is probably underrated.

(01:11:40):
Yeah, That is a great line that you've picked out there, Ryan,
as well. Very nice.
Great writing. I'm getting straight in there
with the familiar one, Zodiac. Dave Toski, thank you.
Thank you for breakfast. That's my second one on me.
List. Oh, really?
Yeah. Yeah.
We've said it before, but it's just stuffed with me that of

(01:12:01):
course he is obviously thanking Christmas for breakfast, but
he's also thanking him for solving the mystery, for giving
him freedom, for breaking his shackles.
I use it a lot, but in situations which probably isn't
quite as meaningful as Dave Toski, the.
But the intention's still. There.
Yeah, mine's just literal. Yeah, he still don't pay for it,

(01:12:23):
which he does. And from score says he's the
king of comedy. After Rupert poker and stand up
bit, he wraps it up by saying better be king for night and
then schmuck for a lifetime. And he really believes that.
I mean, he's going to jail for along time, but it's a great way
to sum up the reverence and thirst for celebrity, no matter
the cost. I think it's an underrated line.

(01:12:44):
I really like that. And on a different note, in that
same film, that picture of his pride and joy, I can't get
enough of that. You want to see a picture of my
pride and joy? That's.
But I think I'd love that. It's great.
Westy, what about you? Leave the gun, take the cannoli.
Oh. Nice.
I think that just really kind ofsums up most of the film without
getting too deep or too far intoit.

(01:13:05):
It's kind of like, you know, leave the violence, take the
heritage, but you look after theheritage with the violence.
I think it's just really great. Could be throw away, but again,
really works. Everyone mentions the tears and
rain speech from Blade Runner. I've got, I think, a far more
important line. It's too bad she won't live, but
then again, who does? The delivery on that,
incredible. And it just when it comes back
as well and the director's Courtney and he, he hears it and

(01:13:26):
he just goes right. Well, you need to live your life
now, then. Yeah, you could die at any time.
That's not the point. It's not the point.
She's a replicant. It's about living your life.
It's about you to live with her again.
Who does exactly? I absolutely love that.
And one of the funniest ones. And I mentioned this on a few
episodes ago, OK? And it absolutely smashes me in
every single time. And it's the delivery on this as

(01:13:47):
well. I think it's one of the funniest
lines in any film. And it's from the Blues
Brothers. And when when he says you're
going to look pretty funny trying to eat caught on the Cobb
No far country. I think that's one of the best
lines. And I remember first time
hearing that. And just a bit real behind that
delivery. It is just so brilliantly done.
And I laugh every time I hear it.

(01:14:08):
And not enough people, not enough people know about it.
It's just great. No fucking truth.
Absolutely. Yeah.
I love that line. That is so funny.
I remember watching that when wedid that video analysis for The
Blues Brothers a few years back,and I hadn't seen The Blues
Brothers for a few years, and itcame to that scene and it just
took me completely off guard andI was on, I was decked.

(01:14:31):
Yeah, it's. Great, hilarious.
What about you mass Underrated lines?
I've gone from one CV Swan to comic wands.
The CV Swan is Paddy Considine'svoice over and dead man shoes.
God will forgive them. He will give them and allow them
into heaven. I can't live with that.
Yeah. That's amazing.

(01:14:51):
That sets you up brilliantly. That is an underrated film, an
underrated film, an underrated line.
Everybody should see that film. Everybody needs to see dead
punch shoes. Yeah, and then in comic ones, I
mean, it's a Tom Hanks line, andit's from the burps.
And it just from the very first time I saw this, made me laugh.
And it's when Hanks's son and that is explaining how he's got

(01:15:12):
that theory about what the Club X were up to.
And he says it's because Ricky Butler told him.
And Hanks just says really sarcastically, Oh, Ricky Butler
said. And that's whenever I hear
someone, like see someone just speak absolute bullshit on TV,
like a politician or football manager making excuses, I'll
just go, oh, Ricky Butler said. Just the.

(01:15:33):
She is disdain Hanks puts into that he's.
Amazing towards his son as well.Oh, Ricky, Butler said.
Ricky Butler says yeah. You just know from that moment
on, don't believe anything. Ricky Butler.
Says yeah, he's full of shit, yeah.
There's so many great lines in the burbs.
I mean. That wrote the petition.
That's amazing. Yeah, those are beauties.
Going to build something with those.

(01:15:59):
And the other one from one of our all time favorites, and we
do say this quite a lot and it'sfrom in Bruges and it's when Ken
is on the phone a hurry trying to make an excuse for rare not
being there. And he says he went to pizza's
and he says, how was it? And he just goes, well, you
know, Pizza Hut pizza. You know, there's something
about a line. It's so funny.

(01:16:19):
And again, it's one where like Itried bring that into
conversation if someone that something was where it's really
obvious what it would be like. Well, you know Pizza Hut.
It is what it is. Yeah, it is what it is.
Yeah. Matt, you've shown a lot of
restraint by not saying I like from the Bruce that I may have
thought you said. Well, just go back, listen to

(01:16:40):
the In Bruges episode to hear that one in it's.
In there all the old buildings and that.
You use this word and various other quotes.
Yes, we could be here all day to.
Be honest. Yeah.
So there you go, Ryan. Thank you for the question.
We liked our lines. Yep, not ours.

(01:17:00):
You know, we pulled them from films, but delivery is
impeccable. Indeed.
So impressive writing from DavidSelf, adding a Sheen of class to
a pulpy gravic novel. Yeah.
Yeah. Next up, we have the music in
the film composed by Thomas Newman.
Our thoughts on the music. I think it's quite somber, but

(01:17:24):
it gets under your skin in in a very, very beautiful way.
There's this horn and piano theme that just breaks my heart
every time I hear it. It's so simple, but it carries
all the weight of Sullivan's guilt and love for his son.
I think the Irish influences Newman weaves in give this whole
kind of folkloric, almost mythicquality.

(01:17:46):
Like when you're in an ancient tragic ballad, there's pipes and
penny whistles if they don't feel forced or obvious.
It's not like we're we're in Boston, so we have to hear
those. Those kind of like Irish
flavours. Dropkick Murphy's Dropkick
Murphy's, yeah. But they just add a layer of
melancholy that makes everythingfeel just a just a bit more

(01:18:08):
timeless. And what I love is Newman's
restraint. He knows when when to pull back
and let the silence do the work.In those quiet moments between
Michael and his son, the absenceof music becomes just as
powerful as the presence of it. It never oversells the emotion,
and it captures the film's tone just great.
It's mournful without being manipulative.
You must feel like this. Yeah.

(01:18:30):
Yeah. Beautiful without being
sentimental. I think it enhances the visual
poetry of whole cinematography without competing with it, But
it does a bloody good job of enhancing it.
It really does. It's not sure we are memorable
in where some scores are, but it's deeply affected.
It's very subtle. I think he understands that the
stories about love and loss, notguns and violence, and his music

(01:18:51):
reflects that. One of those scores that you
don't really notice until you try to imagine the film without
it. Then you realize that it's
absolutely essential for the whole experience.
Yeah. Yeah.
Absolutely beautiful stuff. What about USD?
Yeah, I bought this score the day after I saw the film Stray
on CD because I kind of just wanted to experience it more.

(01:19:12):
And you can see this music, you can see the textures.
It's. Visual.
Yeah, you. Can see the color palette, you
can see how it all works. It's not too sentimental, like
you said, Luke, and it's a greatuse of atmosphere.
On some moments. There's final shootout with
Rudy, and that's just pure atmosphere that's got nothing to
it. Then the strings come in and you
start to get this melody that seems familiar, but then it's

(01:19:32):
just lost on the wind. I think a lot of this is just
feels like it's coming past yearand you experience it as it
happens, but you can't stick it in your head.
So every time I listen to this soundtrack, and I listen to it
quite a few times just independently of the film, and
it does evoke all of this emotion, but it's just like a
fleeting moment. It doesn't stay with you.
It doesn't kind of hammer itselfhome.
And you go, well, you know whereyou just go, but you know the

(01:19:54):
end of wrote the position. What does it go like?
And you just go, oh, I know whatit feels like.
I can't tell you what. I can't really tell you what it
sounds like, but I know exactly how it feels.
And I think that's the point. I think it's really, really hard
to do. And Thomas Newman is made a
career off that. So yeah, it's emotional without
being cheesy, without hammering it down your throat.
And to be able to support them. Visuals, he doesn't really need
to do much. And I think he does more than is

(01:20:16):
absolutely necessary to bring that to life.
And he really does a good job. Yes, he does great job.
What about UMass? Thoughts on the music?
Just complete agreement really. It's very gentle for the most
part. It is very subtle.
It mixes and elements of folk music, but also elements of noir
when the mood of the film darkens.
And yeah, it's one way. It is tricky to talk about it
because it's not, you know, overflowing with eworms, which

(01:20:39):
this one isn't. But it serves the film.
You know. If the scene is melancholic,
Newman nails it. If the scene is tense, Newman
nails it. If the scene is light hearted,
Newman nails it. And it's over the film in a very
subtle manner where it doesn't grab your attention.
But if it wasn't there, you would miss it.
You know, even the most memorable ones like Raw to
Chicago, which is just that simple piano riff.
It's simple, It's not massively overact, but it really works.

(01:21:02):
I mean, Mcguire's theme, all it is are those like dissonant
strings sound a bit off. Nothing huge and booming, but it
really works. Yeah, it really does.
Mcguire's theme sounds like whatWilliams did, with whom alone
that diddle in. Yeah, it really is.
And that makes you really off, off center, yeah.
Yeah, it does. Thomas Newman came on board

(01:21:23):
after Mendez drafted him in for American Beauty.
So they built up that sympathical relationship.
Yeah. And that's why he wanted them
for this. To evoke Rd. to petitions, 1930s
Prohibition era Chicago setting,Newman incorporated subtle Irish
sounds like we're talking about in the fabric of his score.
Hypes, penny whistles and mandolins are often woven
through the film, making a marriage of the old country with

(01:21:44):
the new country, Ireland and America.
Yeah, it really works Well, Yeah, Newman wrote almost two
hours of music for the film. Somewhat overkill for me,
considering this is just under 2hours.
You can't have all music. Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. But Mendez only wound up using
about 30 minutes of it sparinglyand perfectly.

(01:22:05):
Yes, I think so, yeah. So Thomas Newman doesn't flex
his muscles or outstairs welcomewith his music, but he certainly
adds to the texture of the film.Yes.
Finally on our crew list, a legendary cinematographer, one
of the greatest in his field. It is Conrad Hall bowing out

(01:22:27):
beautifully. Yeah.
Wesley, over to you. Conrad Hall, Cinematography.
I mean, this is the culmination of a full career and a very,
very, very talented man who had everything, who did everything
and had everything in his locker.
And I don't think there's anything in this film that he
didn't use that he's learned in his long career.
He's not left anything out. And at the same time, he doesn't

(01:22:48):
overuse anything. It's a portfolio of work in two
hours. It's a portfolio of his life, of
what he's learned. One of the moments I paused was
one that you'll easily miss. And it's after John and Connor
have that bit where the he's beating them down and cursed the
day you were born, right? And then it cuts to the doorway.
It's that searcher shot and it cuts the doorway.
And Michael Junior is just standing in the yard and he's

(01:23:11):
got the suitcase and just pause that moment because he's framed
in the doorway. He's lit from the side the way
that Michael's lit without knowing where the lights coming
from. Then he moves the camera.
Then he puts Sullivan in the frame.
Then he pushes forward and actually moves with it.
It doesn't need to be that good.The shot doesn't need to be that
well thought through or that well executed.
There's not a frame in this thatisn't absolutely impeccable.

(01:23:33):
I don't really know what else tosay about it, because you watch
it in black and white and it works.
Watch it without dialogue and itworks it for me.
The dialogue is getting in the way of this film most of the
time because it is just so visually stunning and so
beautifully executed. I mean, to put the Vertigo shot
in the halfway section of a filmto introduce a villain
character, Yeah, that's what do it in a way that people haven't

(01:23:54):
really seen it before. And you don't look at that and
go, that's Jaws or it's Vertigo.You look at that and go, fuck,
I've never seen that before. That was his version of it.
That's what he's learned. There's such a varnish over this
whole film, such a meticulous attention to detail.
It's hard not to love this in the way that it celebrates
cinema as a visual medium. It pulled me in more than any
other film had at that time, andI'd seen a lot of films up to

(01:24:17):
that point. 2002, this really pulled me.
And it just said, this is like walking around a museum and
every painting that you look at is one that resonates with you
and one that you want to see. And each one gets better as you
move through the museum. And then you leave and you go
out in the daylight. You think I just want to go back
in? Wow, the same interview.
He was so humble. And if I was produced in a film
like this, even if it was my last film, I would be an

(01:24:38):
absolute Dick until I died. I.
Love that honesty, West. How can you help?
You want to put a masterpiece? Yeah, yeah, one of the best to
ever do it. What do you think?
My Conrad Holtz work. I just want to contrast it to
American Beauty really, because that film, it's so vibrant.

(01:25:01):
That red in particular really pops off the screen.
The way he uses that. And then this, which is so
muted, it's so elegant. It's like the music and that.
It's all about serving the atmosphere, surfing the sorry,
not overwhelming it when the camera moves and moves in a very
measured wave. And if it ever moves quickly,
it's startling, but then it should be startling.
It provokes an emotional response in you.
It's got this wintry, melancholic feel to it, the

(01:25:24):
subdued Browns and blacks that this entire film has filled it
to the use of shadow. Even when it's light, it's not
broad daylight like say, it's that wintry light instead.
It's just so integral to what this film should feel like, and
it's what we said about the music.
It's texture. Condor to Holt gives this film
the texture and I think the lookof this film.
It is the one thing that I take away from this more than

(01:25:45):
anything else. Yes, yeah.
I mean, it's artwork, this. That is.
Visual storytelling that it's most beautiful, most elegant,
the way you use the shadow and light.
Obviously masterful characters are constantly emerging from
darkness or disappearing into it, which perfectly mirrors the
ambiguity of the story. The colour palettes desaturated.

(01:26:07):
That works brilliant because everything feels just drained of
life, bereft of hope, which reflects Sullivan's emotional
state. And when you do get the
occasional splashes of colour, it's usually blurred.
They hit like a gut punch. Yeah.
And it's a composition work. He frames characters and
doorways and windows, empty spaces around them.
Like you were saying, that searches shot Westie, which just

(01:26:29):
creates a sense of isolation even when people are in the same
room, the few miles apart. Completely different to that on
the other side of the scale, those Chicago skyline shots make
the city feel magnificent and oppressive at the same time as a
concrete jungle where violence echoes through the streets.
He does that with one shot without any dialogue.
Incredible. And there's not a single

(01:26:51):
throwaway shot. He may be very modest and say,
oh, that was just a happy accident or something like that.
Nothing was just right. OK, cut, Prince.
Let's move on. Everything's measured.
Everything's considered. Everything's important.
Everything means something. Yeah.
I mean whole at the peak of his powers when he was an old man,
Yeah, but one of the finest examples of his work.

(01:27:12):
Yeah, it's a master at work. Mendez, as you said, Matt, he'd
built a relationship with ConradHall, who shot American Beauty.
He managed to get him on board with this film by sending them
the script with a note that saida man lives his life in black
and white but dreams in color. You love that straight in there.
Yeah. Trying to steal that.

(01:27:32):
What was that again man? Just.
Put chiseled on me gravestone. And Mendez and Hall traveled to
each prospective Illinois shooting location that we spent
hours walking around with the viewfinder discussing how each
building or street corner might be used to maximize dramatic
effect. For Rota Petitions color
palette, Hall proposed a stark, nearly monochromatic scheme of

(01:27:55):
desaturated earth tones, shadow St. blacks and washed out Grays.
Reds and oranges would be sparingly, like you said, look
with the blood that really worksand only the signal danger.
Like you said, bloodshed. Yeah.
And then that really works because when you see that it
really impact. And costume designer Albert
Wolsky and his team were encouraged to keep the costumes
within a grim spectrum of charcoal Grey's, mossy greens

(01:28:18):
and sepia toward Browns. The various pinstripe and three
piece gangster suits retailed from fabric specially woven and
dyed to maintain the intendants of dude look.
The costumes of the film were specifically created.
None of them are from the period, right?
Yeah, there's legitimacy in thatwork.
It looks amazing. Mendez and Hall studied, as
we've talked about, The Godfather, Miller's Crossing,

(01:28:39):
and Once Upon a Time in America.It deconstruct how those films
use shadow and negative space togenerate unease and dread.
Yeah, I love that even though Conrad Hall was one of the first
names in cinematography, he's still looking at things that
came after him to inform what hedoes.
Love that. And he also drew heavily from
the work of artist Edward Hopperto establish the film's sombre,

(01:29:02):
shadowy aesthetic. Mendez was particularly
influenced by Hopper's use of light and shadow to convey
characters in emotional States, and that's the technique he
applied to the character of Michael Sullivan.
So yeah, the 1939 Hopper Pain inNew York movie Depends.
In a pensive usher, shrouded in darkness was a key visual
touchstone for Mendez and suggesting Sullivan's hidden
emotional journey. Mendez said.

(01:29:25):
In that one image, you begin to imagine what's on the other side
of the frame. You know the words.
What's important is what's off camera.
Yeah. Seeking to create a palpable
sense of danger and corruption through visual means, Hall
employed his trademark dirty light and techniques.
The aimed lamps directly into the lens causing light to flare
across actors faces and reflect off rain St. windows and puddle

(01:29:45):
strewn streets. That creates so much atmosphere.
Oh, it really does. Yeah, yeah.
Well, Conrad Hall's legendary work brings with it a legendary
question from a patron. This is our second of the day.
This one is from Daniel Holland.Hello, Daniel.
Hello, Daniel. Daniel said.
Hi, fellas. Longtime listener, first time
caller. Great.

(01:30:05):
Nice. Oh nice.
Conrad Hall cinematography oftenlet's scenes play out in shadow
or soft light. How does this visual approach
shape your emotional response tothe story?
And do you think the Edward Hobbit influence is the right
look for the film? Great to have your question,
Daniel. Thank you.
And a cracking one that it is, absolutely.
What are your thoughts on Daniels question?
I mean, yeah, I think it's absolutely the right look for

(01:30:26):
the film because this, this isn't a bombastic film.
So it can't look as bombastic assomething like the Untouchable
Stores, even though it's obviously the same time period.
It shouldn't look as epic as something like Once Upon a Time
in America because this is a much more intimate film.
You know, it is very wide screen, but it's also about
huddled conversations on church pews and then diners in the

(01:30:49):
middle of the night. You know, it's melancholic.
And I think that's where you getin this work.
And I think what Hall does is hekeeps me slightly removed from
it in that emotional sense. I think that's how he shapes my
emotional response to the story because this isn't a film that
makes you want to cry. It makes you want to feel
somber. And the thing that Hall does?
Yeah, I think what's brilliant about it is how it mirrors the

(01:31:09):
moral ambiguity of the story. When characters are literally
shrouded in darkness, we're never quite sure what they're
thinking or feeling. Tell that thing where Sullivan
sits in his car outside the Church of his face is in shadow,
half in light. Visual storytelling.
We've been talking about it, a man torn between his violent
nature and his desire for redemption.
And the soft lighting creates this kind of dream, like, almost

(01:31:31):
memory like quality to the scenes.
It makes everything feel slightly unreal, which is, I
think, perfect because it's a story being told in retrospect
by Michael Junior as an adult. Yeah.
We're seeing these events through the filter of time and
trauma, so that ethereal qualityfeels emotionally honest.
I like that. And yeah, I mean, I'm not know
much about the artsy, but I'm aware of Hopper's work.

(01:31:53):
It appeals to me, and it fits very nicely for the film.
He generally depicts Late Night Lawn as an empty streets, a
perfect visual to carry the narrative of the film.
That kind of existential loneliness, despite Michael
being surrounded by his family, he's emotionally cut off from
him, and I think that is emphasized by the visuals and
the influence of Hopper as well.That's great.

(01:32:14):
Yeah, I mean it's just has that in messy to it.
I think a lot of Hopper's pants do have that intimacy to them,
even if they are wide shots. You kind of diving into what's
that character thinking, what's their motivations?
And it's hop as use of shadow aswell, I think really works and
it's really translated here. Light and shadow does kind of
bounce off each other. There's a duality to the
cinematography, there's a duality to the whole film.
There's a, you know, a light anddog up and down.

(01:32:35):
There's a charity which really, really works.
And I think how that buys into that 100%.
The most I get from the cinematography in this and the
look and the shape of the emotion is that it's a character
in itself that creates this own world that has an authenticity
to it. But you don't care if that
authenticity is carried further in by the characters.

(01:32:55):
And what I mean by that, I'll give you an example in this.
In this time period, every single man who walked into a
room, bought into a house, bought into a building, would
remove the hat. It's suspicious if you don't
you. We don't care about that because
it looks better. It works better for the film.
It's through the child's eyes. We're not bothered about that
level of authenticity because you're getting such a level of
authenticity through the cinematography, through the

(01:33:16):
light and through the feel of the period.
You don't want it to be too real.
Try and do this again, it's impossible.
Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's striking, absolutely
striking work. So an outstanding crew.
Great, right? The understated beauty of the
music, but it's all overshadowed, naturally, by
Conrad Hall's outstanding cinematography.
Yet again, another Fitness One song.

(01:33:38):
Yes, yeah. The end.
The Sullivan Bank Robbins spree doesn't last long with the
accountant pulling the plug on Chicago's money.
I guess we should pay a visit tothis Mr. Rance Westie.
We should, yes, Mr. Rance, he isgreat.

(01:33:58):
He's fantastic. Really comic performance.
I would like an egg. I could run it.
What is this? It's just, you know, it's very,
very good. I love that performance.
It is brilliant. And here there's a great build
attention, some great setup, some some great payouts.
And this is where I was talking about the sound design.
You know that teletype machine starts going.

(01:34:19):
You know that Mcguire's coming over the road.
You get disguised from the soundof the hornies and coming up the
stairs, you can hear the horn still going outside.
You don't quite know what's going to happen.
When's he going to come in? Branch then just runs into that
other room. Gunshots go off before that.
Even McGuire doesn't notice because the car's painted.
And then he's obviously paying the woman in the hotel room, so
he's distracted, and that's whenMichael goes in.
So everything's got a moment. Everything kind of makes perfect

(01:34:41):
sense. Really welcome, really well
staged. And then the gunshots going
through the wall, you say, well,how to grant style.
Oh, yeah, obviously the damn gunshots going through the wall.
That makes sense. But this is the kind of the
beginning of the end for MichaelSullivan.
I think because McGuire is stillhired at this point, he still
has a job to do and this is where it gets personal because

(01:35:02):
you forget about McGuire at the after the sequence.
You do. You look at these hands, you
just don't see what's going on. It's not really hit home enough.
You're focused on some of them getting shot and him getting
better. Then there's one last thing to
do. There's two huge scenes coming
up and then it comes back. This one kind of skips past them
two scenes and has a real kind of Arc and a real moral arc.

(01:35:23):
Regrettable 1. And it's great because this is
set up in such a way where it feels like a finale where you
have films where they're just toget shot and then the bad guy
disappears. And I think it's great that the
play on that and that comes backlater on the horn.
And it's one of their moments where I don't even think he
meant he just wanted them out the way.
He just wants the files. You know, if they could have
just had a conversation. McGuire it's been like, look,

(01:35:44):
I'm going to kill Rooney. This is all going to be over
with. I get the files.
You can just leave. I'll pay you the money.
I've got the money here. That's what you want.
So it becomes a real personal vendetta because of what Michael
does. And it's heartbreaking when you
see the scene with the second time, third time you watch it,
known for a fact that it is setting something up that is
unavoidable. Yeah, yeah.
I really like that, that the scenes after this, like you

(01:36:06):
said, are larger than life, bigger than this scene, even
though this scene is huge. Yeah.
So this character, you forget about him.
He slides into the shadows and then that's it.
Exactly. And then and then.
Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Only forget about this guy. Yeah, exactly.
And in the scene where McGuire is stalking up to the Geneva
Hotel across the ward with the shotgun under his court, there's

(01:36:28):
a store that looks like it's been done out to look like from
the period, but in actual fact, it's actually a Starbucks.
Oh. Really.
Yeah, yeah, production took it over for four days, shut it
down, ran the Kraft Food Services out of it for the cast
and crew, and retained all the Starbucks staff to make coffees
for every everybody. On that.
Yeah, Andy me know Starbucks, Yeah.

(01:36:48):
Starbucks Now Michael gets out of there alive, but he is badly
injured shot and this sequence afterwards feels a little
contrived and by the numbers forme, I love it.
But I also have a quite a few problems with this scene.
As soon as he passes out, they're very fortuitously find a
farm with some very friendly residents and one of them can

(01:37:13):
remove bullets, which all is allvery pleasant.
Isn't this how handy we've seen this nursing back to health
scene a million times. It feels paid by number.
It's it's like witness. We've seen them many times.
But what doesn't feel like paid by number is an absolutely
stunning scene. Father and son around the table
finally acting like father and son.

(01:37:35):
I absolutely adore it. But it's almost as if that
montage scene that I said beforeWestie didn't happen because of
the way that Michael Senior treats Michael Junior in this
thing. Yeah, it's like he doesn't know
him. Exactly.
It starts off very formal. Michael Junior's had a bad
dream. Take a seat if you want.
He sees that his dad is doing math.
He says that he hates it. And what follows The

(01:37:57):
conversation that just appears to be between two strangers.
Yes. So what do you like?
It's Google. What did you like?
I mean, why doesn't he know this?
He has been on and they have been up to some form of
joviality when he's been teaching them how to drive and
Robin Banks and all that kind ofstuff.
It's a beautiful scene. It's heartbreaking because

(01:38:19):
Michael Junior, he says he likesBible reading at school because
he likes the stories. Just very childlike.
Yeah. And then the emotion starts to
tumble into the scene because heasked his dad if you like Peter
more than him, and he said he was different with him.
And he is the big emotional pole.
Peter was such a sweet boy, but you were more like me and I
didn't want you to be. Yeah.

(01:38:41):
He's been called an approachableMichael senior towards the sun
because he didn't want to followthe same path.
And now we understand. I don't think that Michael
Junior quite understands the reasoning, but he understands
that his father has just opened up to him emotionally, probably
for the first time in his life. And then a completely arresting
moment. Devastating.

(01:39:01):
Michael Junior gives his dad a hug.
Something that should feel like the most natural thing in the
world takes Michael Senior completely off guard.
My heart drops. It's such a beautiful moment.
Yeah. That is a perfect cap on that
scene. It was a great scene without it,
But that is just a beautifully judged moment.
Poignant. Someone's chopping onions here.

(01:39:24):
Incredible stuff. It's.
A beautiful. Thing it really is.
And then after this, you get thescene was built up to probably
the most quoted scene in the film as well, which is really in
the church and then the basement.
And I think there's always something really evocative about
people like Rooney who've built an empire on bloodshed, lived a
brutal life, but they also take their religion and faith very

(01:39:45):
seriously. He's not there at the church to
play lip service. His faith is real.
And if his faith is real and he's a very conflicted man
because he knows what he's done and he can pray all he likes for
forgiveness, but as much as the Catholic doctrines, God will
always forgive. What if he makes an exception?
Because if he's going to make anexception, it's going to be for

(01:40:06):
someone like John Rooney. And I think that subtle fear and
conflict is very, very palpable in nuance performance and in the
same because. He's not sat there head bowed
and pray. And it looks more to me like
he's lost in his own thoughts, like what he's done is beyond
redemption, so what's the point in prayer?
And he knows the end is coming from soon because he's an old
man of Lee. And then after Michael reveals

(01:40:28):
he sat behind them, you get the scene in the basement and it's
the same way. Really, I just want to quote
every single line of dialogue because it's scintillating
stuff. Not great.
He murdered Annie and Peter. There were only murderers in
this room. It's mind blown how good the
dialogue is. You know, the line we've come
back to again again, because, you know, we have the question

(01:40:48):
about, you know, this is the life we choose, the life we
lead. Just wonderful stuff.
And you know, it's and again, this point is being made over
and over again. It's not about revenge.
It's about saving Michael Juniorfrom going down the same mode of
his father. But just when you watch Newman
and Hanks going head to head here, you can almost see Hanks
having to elevate his game just to keep up with Newman.

(01:41:09):
I mean, I mean, Hanks is generally a better actor than
everyone else in the film. So I kind of feel sometimes he
doesn't have to try that hard tobe great, accepting the same
because he's not quite as good as Paul Newman, but he's going
to raise his game to try and keep up with them as much as he
can. And it ends up the two of them
at their very best. Yeah.
Peak Hanks. Peak Newman.
Absolutely, it is amazing. I love that notion of blood is

(01:41:31):
thicker than water and that's completely evident.
And they say no matter how how bad Connor behaves, no matter
what he does to damage his reputation, to damage his life,
he'll always stick with him because his blood.
Yeah. Love that.
It's just, you know, I'm on the son that I've lost.
Yeah, fantastic. Wow.

(01:41:52):
Yeah, that's great. So with Michael's final olive
branch snapped off, he has no alternative than to turn into an
Angel of vengeance. Michael does stuff, is all
faithful, and prepares to do battle one last time, one last
thing, and then it's done. Yeah.
Oh, and what a one last thing itis.

(01:42:12):
Yeah, John Rooney and all of hismen enter the rain drenched
streets, the rain beaten down onthe road so hard it looks like
they're lost at sea, which of course they are.
A blanket of blackness surroundstheir existence in glorious slow
more. Mendez has turned into John Woo
as it's revealed the driver has been plugged and they're all

(01:42:33):
sitting ducks. John knows what's happening
immediately and you can see thathe's accepted his face.
He knows it's coming and the music is almost like a costly
lullaby as the flash of light from the gun slashes through the
darkness, cutting Rooney's men ribbons.
It's poetic violence, no blood. The strings swell as Michael
conference John 1 resigned look.And then I'm glad it's you.

(01:42:58):
Oh dear me, this is poetry in motion.
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing. And the pain on Michael's face.
He knows what he has to do, but it's killing him.
Yeah, But by doing this, he doessever the ties between the old
and the new world, which offers a better life for his son.
Obviously thematically relevant.We've talked about it, the shots
of people looking out of their windows as well as if they're

(01:43:19):
cast in judgement over Michael. He's truly going to hell now.
But it was worth it for his family.
Yeah. Yeah.
A stunning scene. Oh, it's astonishing.
If you listen to Mendez on the commentary, he said he just
couldn't get this right. He couldn't cut it right.
It wasn't working. He didn't know why it wasn't
working. He came back to it a few days
later and it was when he cut allof the sound out on the dub,

(01:43:39):
which was a bit of an accident because they played it back
without the sound. Oh, wow.
And the thought, oh, shit, right, That totally works.
Now, then let's just put the score over it.
The way that that score is silenced by the Tommy gun and it
just cuts above it. And the way the tanks looks
down, you know, he's falling. Yeah, it's back up.
It's an incredible piece of work, This.
It's just unbelievably good. Outstanding it is.

(01:44:00):
It is. And originally the scene was
scripted to be set in an empty Chapel and it was actually shot,
but Mendez felt that something was missing.
So this then motivated the sceneto be shot on the rain drenched
streets. And Mendez said he was able to
take advantage of the blurry Halos of St. lamps and, as he
said, the inky void of the nightsky to create a more ominous
existential mood. Gray line, inky void of the

(01:44:22):
night sky. Very nice.
And yes, the whole scene was shot over 4 nights.
It required 32 times squib detonations, a techno Korean
cable of Verizon 6 stories and half a dozen rain machines
working at full blast. Wow.
And it's still. The one the most beautifully
relaxed and heartbreak and meditations I've ever seen in
cinema. It's just captivating.
It's like watching a bride cry. Got much experience of that

(01:44:50):
Westie? Wow.
I've seen it. Get that on the poster.
It's like watching a bride cry, Westie.
So then after this, there's one more person Michael's got to

(01:45:12):
take care of and we know this has been coming.
And what's been interesting is throughout this before said
there's like 1 scene in the filmwe have a slight issue with and
this one's mine because I think it's set up brilliantly.
That phone call with Nitty givenup Connor is going to end the
feud. And I love the look on the faces
of the bodyguards is that just let Michael through the hotel
know what he's going to do Because it's like, yeah, you

(01:45:34):
know what kind of deserves it? He's been an absolute asshole
back there. So, you know, I'm quite glad.
He's got a backstage pass, hasn't he?
It's great. Exactly.
Yeah, it's great. But the issue I have is it's the
one part where I think Mendez has been too restrained and too
artful for his own good. It looks incredible the way that
the door swings back to short Connors reflection in the Mirror

(01:45:55):
Now that Michael shot him and heuses in the bath.
But it's the one bit where I want an emotional release.
Don't get it. You know, this guy murdered
Michael's wife and youngest boy.You want the moment of revenge?
You just don't get it. It's very dispassionate.
And I know there's an argument for that.
The Michael's just like whateverI've had to kill his father.
This guy means nothing to me. But all the same, that's his

(01:46:16):
personal choice. And that's fine.
But my reaction is personal in my reaction is this feels like
an afterthought. And I'm not saying he has to be
like slugging him around the hotel room or anything like
that. But if you go back to the
graphic novel, in this scene when Michael has Connor at
gunpoint, Connor says I'll see you in hell.
And Michael's reply is hell willbe heaven if I can spend
eternity making you pay for whatyou did to her.

(01:46:38):
Now that's magnificent line. That's one-on-one from this
scene. Why is that line not here?
Yeah. I can't fathom why that line's
not there. It's amazing line dialogue.
Yeah, that makes the scene. It does, yeah.
So from there to, it's a happy ending, isn't it?
We're absolutely fine. Yeah, they've even got a dog.
Yeah, they've got a dog there. The actor told you there was a
dog and Zach driving. He's he's heads out the window.

(01:46:59):
Mike Sullivan has completely lethis guard down, his collars
open. He's grown his hair a little bit
more. He's just, you know, he's shirts
on, tucked his waist coats not fast.
And he's ready to just call it aday.
And that's it. He's ready to settle down.
And we're all ready to settle down with him.
And I love that moment where TheWalking across the beach and
it's beautiful. But then he says, is that the
house? So I fucking hope so, because
there's nothing else. Why we otherwise?

(01:47:23):
Absolutely. Miles is like, no, there's three
more down the bottom, which would normally be quite
realistic. No, that's not the house.
It's that little one that we canafford down there.
But yeah, it's great. I'll just love that.
The way it's it's set up and it's it's done in such a joyful
way because we are at once in probably the most brightest
scene in the film and it is justfeel almost overexposed after
everything else we've seen. It's like Michael Mann, isn't

(01:47:45):
it? Yeah.
And once, you know, a false sense security and you know,
it's a beach scene, but we're forgetting.
We've seen Sullivan junior on the beach at the very start
looking at the water. We've forgotten about that.
We forgot about a lot of things which are going to come back to
home in a minute. And there's that tracking
through the house and he shouts,we're here, Sarah.
And there's just that amazing reflected shot where my son was

(01:48:07):
looking out and then you see himwaving and it's just that pang,
that pang. And it's just, it's just so
heartbreakingly, beautifully played out.
I think it's Hanks just trying to hang on and not not fall to
the floor. And then when he does, you just
see that reveal of that shadowy figure and just the camera
getting picked up and you think,oh, for folks think, why did I

(01:48:30):
forget about that? Why did I let me guard down?
And it does it to the audience because you let your guard down
as soon as he does, and as soon as he does, he's punished for
it. And then when you see that smile
and he takes the picture, he's just the most loathsome.
Character. Yeah, he is horrific.
And you think you're benefiting from this moment and you just
invested in the Sullivan's at this point.
You just think, yes, we're goingto get there.

(01:48:51):
And now we have this sledgehammer from Mendez
Juniors. Got a gun, Mike Sullivan.
Don't do it, don't do it. Go on and give us a gun back.
It was a gun back. And there's probably the this is
the one shot that I really dislike in the film and it kind
of pulls as I was when that triggers pulled in, the gun goes
off and you get that shot of whyyou get that chart.
Jude Law just it's slow motion, but it's like a strange kind of

(01:49:12):
slow motion doesn't really feel like it fits.
And I think if you've got ConradHall there, there's there's a
couple of ways to shoot that. So it has an ambiguity, but who
pulled the trigger and what happened?
And I think that just happens a little bit fast, falls to the
floor, and you know for a fact that Michael's pulled the
trigger. In the end, you get that line.
I couldn't do it. I know, yeah.
And it's almost said, I know, I know where, you know, everyone

(01:49:33):
fucking knows that I couldn't doit.
Yeah, OK. Did really have to put that in
so you could have shot that. You don't know who pulled the
trigger. Yeah, yeah.
But it's just so quickly swept away, like, don't worry, guys, I
couldn't do it at all. Yeah.
It's fine. It's tied up in a nice little
ball, isn't? It it is tied up in a little
bit. It is nice and it's fine.
I think that's in 2002. That's what audiences needed.
And I think someone like Spielberg's going, you know, you

(01:49:54):
need the kind of just make sure that's emphasized.
But we could lose some money here if you don't make that a
little bit more obvious. And it made its money back and
it really hits home and that's absolutely fine.
But it's that return to the farmfor me.
And that voice over. Yeah, beautiful.
I do love the reveal of the scarred face of Harlem Aguire
smile. It's shocking.

(01:50:15):
Yeah, it is. And Mendez instructed Jude Law
to play Mcguire's death as if hewere the Wicked Witch of the
West from The Wizard of Oz, slowly sinking out of existence
rather than expiring suddenly. Fantastic.
Yeah, it's a great fall to the floor.
I love that that reverse shot. Yes, a fit and ending.
And he's another fit and ending.Our third and final period on

(01:50:36):
QUESTION. OK, this comes from Rob Ball.
Hello, Rob. Hello, Rob.
Rob says. Is there a movie that makes you
feel more hollow and sad at the end of it?
The sun is safe and perhaps we'll have a new family.
But the most important people inhis life are gone, and he has a
terrible secret at the center ofhis life.
Yes, Rob. Yes, indeed.

(01:50:56):
A good punch, Westie, I'm certain you've got a number of
good punches in your holster. A plethora.
A plethora. Why do you say I have a
plethora? Brilliant.
Yes, El Vapo, this I mean, there's there's too many to

(01:51:19):
really mention, but I've gone for the top three hard hitters.
OK, one that's not as hard because it's one of my favorite
films of all time. But I also find it quite hollow
and quite reward. I mean, it's a really rewarding
film and you know that that's going to happen.
But the end of the Assassinationof Jesse James by the covered
Robert Ford, there we go, is hollow.
It's sad, it's reflective in start voice over.

(01:51:40):
It's just incredibly poignant. You know, they're not going to
pay $0.15 a stand in the rooms he grew up in.
He's nothing. It's failure and that was it.
And then just the way you get shot in the way that stage is
beautifully done shot by taking nothing else to say about that
apart from it finishes and I go back and watch it again.
One that I can never what? Well, there's two I can never

(01:52:00):
watch again. Actually the the first one that
I was on the floor in a ball in foetal position sobbing was
Dancer in the Dark. Oh wow.
Lost one trio. Can't.
I can't revisit that. I can't go back to that.
I can't think about that very much.
Absolutely shattering. But then again, it's a large
frontier film. What?
Exactly what you. Expect.

(01:52:20):
But you know, Bjork's in it, there's a bit of dance and I
thought he might have just mellowed slightly, but no way
was I wrong. And the last one for me that was
so, so hard to bear was the Mist.
That ended. Yeah, that ending is, come on,
shattering. But again, I mean, it's
brilliantly executed. All these are brilliantly
executed and brilliant films, two of which I'll never see
again and one that I'll watch, you know, as often as I can,

(01:52:42):
really. But yeah, if you haven't seen
them, I mean, just prepare yourself.
Yeah, yeah. What about you, Matt?
Yeah, I've got 3 as well. First one, I'm going to say The
Fly, because that's the way thatI always forget.
Like whenever I go watch that again, it ends with Veronica,
the Geena Davis character, obviously killing Seth, Jeff

(01:53:04):
Goldblum's character to put him out of his misery.
And Goldblum is brilliant in that film.
Like you never ever doubt that. Still Seth underneath all the
you know, the disgusting specialeffects and it's got that thing
where the monster is tragic and you feel sorry for throughout
and this is thing she kills him and then cut to credits.
It's like. Well, yeah, there you go.

(01:53:24):
Deal with that. Deal with that.
Wow. So yeah, that one, a film I've
already mentioned, went on aboutfavorite quotes, but Dead Man
Shoes again, that that mission of revenge, he goes on, he gets
it, but at what cost? At what cost to him?
You know, you get that feeling at the end.
And one that I've mentioned on apaper on episode recently, I

(01:53:46):
won't go into it too much because it's still quite recent.
So OK worry about spoilers but after some that has got.
All right. The last five minutes that will
just knock you off your feet. Yeah, if you haven't seen it,
check it out, but be prepared. Bleak bleak bleak bleak On this
question I thought about Mystic River because we've talked about

(01:54:06):
recently on Double feature yeah it's just a devastating film
that just shows that it will affect when something life
changing happens in the community in the impact poor
Celeste, played by Marsha Gearhart she's left with nothing
by the by the end or. It's a lot of exhale in here.
Hope. You're happy, Rob.

(01:54:26):
He's the biggest exhale of them all.
One that came to mind immediately.
It left me bereft. Absolutely bereft.
Hollowed out. I was not Luke anymore.
It is Manchester by the Sea. Yeah, the title sounds quite
playful. Fun seaside town.

(01:54:46):
Oh no, there was an emotional dread, like just all over, just
imposing itself on the film. Casey Affleck's character
carries this unbearable secret and guilt, and the film holds
back for so long that you're desperate to find out the source
of his pain. But then it's revealed and you
wish it wasn't absolutely horrific.

(01:55:08):
It'll have to be a good reason to revisit that film again for
me. Fantastic film and all of that,
but fuck me. Not going on a classic anytime
soon, is it? I'm.
Not watching that now. But thank you very much for the
question, Rob. Fitting ending.
Yes, yeah, we're going to sleep well tonight.
Yes. So we've lived a lifetime on the

(01:55:30):
road. In the winter of 1931, was
Michael Sullivan a good man, or was there no good in him at all?
One thing is for certain, he wasa father.
Yes. Deception and awards.
After a 72 days shoot, Mendez and his editing team were left
with a mammoth seven months in the cutting room, 12 hours a

(01:55:52):
day, seven days a week. Of the scenes that didn't make
the code were the home one that was mentioned earlier.
And there was also a deeper backstory with Jennifer Jason Lee's
character Annie, in particular, her role in protecting the boys
from the life of crime that their father leads.
But that got good because Mendezfelt it slowed the pace too
much. Just a shame.
Like I say, we need. More JGL.

(01:56:13):
We need more Jennifer. Yes, absolutely.
And finally, a scene that Mendezagonized over was one that had
Michael Junior confessing his dad's sins to a priest.
Yes. That played just before senior
dies. Mendez felt it blunted the end,
its impact. As discussed, probably a little
too on the nose. Yeah, I think so, yeah.
Wrote a Position was originally slated to be released in the

(01:56:33):
winter of 2001, but Mendez requested more time and set his
sights on a July 2002 release. An odd choice for a film of this
nature to go up against the likes of Men in Black 2 Minority
Report Gold Member. I know which one I'm watching
first, which one scroll on afterwards.
Gold member Yeah, men there saw it as an opportunity to separate

(01:56:56):
from the pack, a move which proved successful on a big time
$80 million budget, which is bigbroader petition returned a
healthy 296,000,000 ended up as the 16th highest grossing film
of the which is just not happening.
No, in this day and age, definitely not.
And it wasn't just box office figures that were impressive.
Review is largely waxed lyrical about the film.

(01:57:17):
Richard Corliss in Time magazinesaid.
Brilliantly photographed, meticulously directed and acted
with utter confidence, it's a movie in which every note seems
perfectly pitched. High praise.
Yeah, Yeah. And Empire gave it 4 out of five
saying this is supremely craftedgrown up movie making that never
escapes its pulp origins. The themes are well worn and the

(01:57:38):
structure predictable, but theseare gangster cliches is gift
wrap by Fortnum and Mason in thegrandeur of the film slips down
like fine caviar. Ah, fantastic.
Don't disagree with that. And I will triumph the big man
himself, Big Roger Rebus. What do you think?
He gave it out of four. 3. 33 third time's a charm.

(01:57:59):
You got it all right. He healed it as a masterful and
eloquent film by a director who understands that action is the
character, but also said that hefelt emotionally detached from
the characters at times. And I knew I admired it, but I
didn't know if I liked it. Yeah, it is cold and holds us
outside. Right, that's.
What I think you said at the top, Westie?
Not a love and admiration, I think.

(01:58:20):
Yeah, very much. And now Rd.
Petition has 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an IMDb score of
7.6 out of 10. Sadly, Conrad Hall died around
seven months after the release of the film, his final work of
art. A fitting way to go out.
He posthumously was awarded the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Mendez picked it up on his path.And choking back the TS in the

(01:58:41):
speech, he paid tribute to a career that began in black and
white and ended in a blaze of colour.
And if you watch it on YouTube, you can see in the audience
Hanks and humans to watch on very tearfully.
No surprise. Yeah, beautiful.
No surprise. The Road to Position was
nominated in five of the categories of the Oscars, Sound
editing, Sound, original Score, Art Direction and supporting

(01:59:03):
actor Paul Newman. Lovely callback that.
Love it. But alas, it missed out on all
of them. The winners that year?
It was well balanced. Can you remember what won Best
Picture? Chicago.

(01:59:26):
Oh, yes. Well done, Matt.
Yeah, that won best picture. Polanski won for best out for
the pianist. I mean, those two decisions, I'm
certain if we had a redo there would be made different.
There would be something different.
Yeah, come on. So in the busy summer months of
2002, Wrote Up Edition stood head and shoulders above most of

(01:59:48):
its contemporaries and even got some justified awards
recognition despite being released six or seven months
before award season, A testamentto the stay and power of the
film. Yeah.
Yes, sequels and influence. Despite the graphic novel having
many follow-ups, nothing has materialized on the big screen

(02:00:09):
in the shape of a sequel. So what of the film's influence
and legacy in the years since it's released?
Westie, where do you stand on that?
I think we saw a few very similar types of films, Gangster
Squad and failed and Enemies came out and and didn't do as
well. And I honestly think of Conrad

(02:00:30):
Hall had lived longer and he wasmaybe 5 years younger and he did
this film. I think he would have just been
right when he do a Conrad Hall film, much like you know what
happened with Deakins once he got recognized after the Coen
brothers stuff and he's doing Blade Runner and Blade Runners
like a feeling of Deakins joint.Do you know what I mean?
It's safe because of Deakins. It has an identity now and
Mendez took that and who was thebest person to go to after this

(02:00:53):
Deakins? So that's the short jaw head
with him and try to keep to maintain that.
So I think the influences, especially on some Mendez was,
you know, the confidence to moveforward, but also the importance
of cinematography. And I think we've seen a leap
massively since the death of Conrad Hall in much improved,
much more thought through cinematography throughout
cinema. I think especially moving into

(02:01:13):
the digital age, I think people appreciate it now when they look
at it differently. And I think this was the film
that made people wake up. Yeah, fantastic.
What about you, Matt? I'm going to go TV for the first
influence. I think Boardwalk Empire, just
the look of that series. I mean, obviously petition can't
claim credit fraud being set in that particular time period.
It's a fascinating period all the same.

(02:01:35):
But Even so, I think Boardwalk and by just shares a lot of this
film's DNAI think the casting ofHanks, I think that's had an
influence because that short that sometimes you don't always
have to cast the obvious choicesfor Stone Cold killers and men
of violence. So I think even though it's
completely, totally different, you get something like Bob
Odenkirk and nobody similar kindof thing.
Like I wouldn't expect him to bethat.

(02:01:56):
I think that comes down Hanks. I find myself saying this quite
a lot, but quite a lot of these films, it's about the influence
on the director himself. And I think Mendez doing this,
as I said, the top, so completely different to American
Beauty and it work. And for the most part, I just
think it gave him the confidenceto keep doing that.
Because I think looking at his career, the interesting thing
about him is apart from when he came back to do a second Bond

(02:02:16):
film, when he did Spectre, he's never revisited the same genre.
He's always moved on to something different, which is
what I really like about Mendez.So I think this one work and as
much as it did probably had a lot to do with that.
Yeah, I think going to repeat quite a few things that you
fellas have said. The visual influence, Conrad
Hall, cinematography that's become a a template for how to
shoot morally ambiguous crime dramas.

(02:02:37):
You can see it all over the likes of The Dark Knight, Blade
Runner, Deacons, like you said, Westie acknowledged studying Rd.
of additions, use of light and shadow for that.
Yeah. And Tom Hanks, he was kind of
like an everyman up until this point, but this opened the door
to be a little bit more morally ambiguous with his choices.
Not over the top, but he certainly made a few more

(02:02:59):
different choices than he was making in the 90s.
Yeah. Significantly, though, I think
wrote the edition helped prove that comic book adaptations
don't have to be about superheroes.
No, yeah. Sure, Hollywood, that graphic
novels could be source material for serious adult dramas.
Things like History of Violence for example.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spielberg called it a permanent

(02:03:19):
masterpiece, and I think that's been proven as well.
All of these years on, it's still the gold standard for how
to make a beautiful, melancholiccrime film that doesn't
glamorize violence but examines its true cost.
So no sequels, but a wonderful legacy and, as discussed at
length, a beautiful way to go out for 2 Legends of the Silver
Screen. Yeah, yes, absolutely.

(02:03:44):
All the right movies ranking. We've reached the end of our
road and there's only one guarantee none of us will escape
without giving our final verdict.
This is the world famous ATRM ranking math.
Could you summarize and give youscore out of 10 for Rd. of
edition please? It's a really, really beautiful
film. It's stunning in so many ways,

(02:04:04):
as we've said, so much that comes down to Conrad Hall.
I think there's a lot of confidence in a lot of ways from
NSA to do something very different to what he'd
previously done. And and Newman, as I said, he
just signs off with one of his greatest roles.
But when I was thinking about this, I was asking myself the
question, why don't I watch it more often than I do?
And I think, you know, there aresome scenes I don't quite work
tonally like the one I mentioned.

(02:04:26):
I don't get the release at the end when he kills Connor that I
think I should get. Yeah.
I kind agree with Wesley about the montage scene.
It feels a little out of place. I mean, Hank Hanks is great, but
could that have been pushed a little further?
I think maybe. And I think it does come down to
what Rod Riebert said in his. I think this is a film to really
admire rather than love nothing.That's where I am with it.

(02:04:49):
And we've talked about Edward Hopper a lot.
And I think if I had like an Edward Hopper downstairs, I'll
just be really glad to know thatI have it and it's down there.
I wouldn't look at it every day.It would be something where it
catches my eye when I'm not expecting that I'll go, fuck,
that's a beautiful, beautiful picture.
And that's what it wrote to petition for me.
It's not want to watch a lot because like I say, it's just a
little emotionally distant for me for large parts of it, but

(02:05:12):
it's a beautiful thing nonetheless.
So it's an 8.5 for me. Still a thoroughly decent score.
Yeah. What about you, Westie?
Really tough one for me this, tobe honest, because there is so
much admiration from it that I don't know whether that
overshadows parts of what a filmshould be and what we'd look at
the other films that are on the on the board and films that I've

(02:05:34):
give top marks to. And they are just perfect films
for me all the way through. And I would find it quite hard
to argue with somebody over the montage sequence.
I found it quite hard when Matt was saying about the Lexington
Hotel. I'm like, yeah, yeah, you know,
that's, that's right. Yeah, you're all right.
It does have flaws. I mean, if I was going on

(02:05:55):
cinematography, this would be 20out of 10 of.
Course. It's it's easily it's easily one
of the best films I've ever seenvisually and watch it in black
and white as well, if you haven't.
And I'll keep banging about that, but it's a completely
different experience and it's a wonderful thing.
So I'm not going to tell people how to do it.
I've got methods of, you know, change and saturation on my
television. All televisions are different.

(02:06:15):
So I don't want people getting in touch with we're going me
Telly's now fucked and I'm watching everything in Spanish
or something. So that's up to you if you want
to do that. But again, it just has that
layer and that layer, unfortunately, is visual and
it's not content wise. And I love the sentiment.
I love that. I love the way that's played
out. Are you not always cheer up at
the end? Because I have a son's nine
years old and I have that kind of relationship and it really

(02:06:38):
works, that father son dynamic. And it's really well addressed
in the film. But again, it feels like
Spielberg's kind of tapping him on the shoulder.
Don't go there, do this, be safeon here, go that far there, go
there. It's a beautiful thing.
I'd ask anyone to watch it but Ifind it really hard to defend
because it does have its flaws but it's still a nine out of 10
for me. Nine.
Yeah, very nice. A great score.
Well, I think this film does getbetter with every viewing for

(02:07:01):
me. And what struck me most this
time around was how restrained it is.
I think the less capable of hands.
It could have been just a flashygangster film.
It could have maintained its poppy roots.
But Mendez shows incredible discipline and letting the
emotion breathe between the violets.
Hanks gives a great performance.He subverts his screen persona.
It doesn't feel forced, but it doesn't feel a 100% believable.

(02:07:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But Paul Newman, I mean, bloody
hell, yeah. What are we to bow out?
Every scene he's in crackles with decades of accumulated
screen presence. Visually, I mean, Connie Hall
moving through a series of Hopper paintings given depth in
more ways than one of the visuals.
Yeah, I mean, just artwork. And I really do like the

(02:07:47):
writing. I've had a couple of criticisms,
but it is very stylized. I don't think it's possible to
absolutely shake its comic book roots.
And that's a personal choice just because I'm sure that
appeals to a lot of people. It doesn't necessarily appeal to
me. Yeah, of course.
And because it's got that veneerof Sheen that prevents me from
becoming that emotionally attached to the story.

(02:08:08):
It should be heartbreaking. And I'm an easy mark, but it's
never been that emotionally effective to me.
Right. Yeah.
A stunning film nonetheless. Great to look at.
Great work overall, it's an 8.5 out of 10 from me.
Right, OK. So a little bit of consistency
there with three scores. The final score for Rd. of
Edition comes from our incredible period supporters

(02:08:30):
who've been written the film whilst coming to our amazing
community. Thank you guys.
Yes. Thank you so much guys.
Before I reveal the score, let me pick out some wonderful
comments, Jamie Beckett said. A beautifully rendered film with
lovely cinematography and framing.
Always felt a bit emotionally shallow.
That said, it seems to get better with repeated viewings.
Some superb performances as well.

(02:08:52):
Yeah, well said Jamie. Lou Noon said Tom Hanks with an
unbelievable performance and really shows his acting chops
throughout. Newman's incredible and due laws
performance is one that stays with you.
What an under appreciated movie in a tremendous piece of cinema.
As Billy Bob once said so eloquently in Varsity Blues 10,
I give it a ten. Wow.

(02:09:14):
Deep cut Blues, deep cut. Love it.
I didn't know where he was goingwithout.
And finally, from Ian Joyner. Ian said staggeringly beautiful
at times, but there are a betterwritten takes on the Prohibition
era. Jude Law's character Jazz at
times with the otherwise seriousand somber tone.
And as fantastic as Hanks is, wenever see or understand exactly

(02:09:35):
why he's such a fear enforcer that can't be just taken out
with the strength of force available to the likes of Capone
and maybe. Yeah, 8.
Right. OK, so a mixed bag.
A lot of positives there. Yeah.
Thank you for joining in, everyone.
What do you think Road to petition averaged from our
parents, fellas? I'm.
Gonna say probably 8.5. Yeah, I'll go 8.5. 8.50 just

(02:09:59):
missed out nine out of 10. Oh, OK, nice.
I'm happy with that to be honest.
Of course. Yeah.
So that means that road to positions.
Overall ATRM score is 35 out of 40, not quite reaching the
summit, but mixing it with some elite company for certain.
Yep. Yeah.
Join us again on all the right movies.
In two weeks, John, Westie and Matt will be jumping centuries

(02:10:20):
to the 1700s as they tackle the epic sweep of Michael Mann's
Last of the Mohicans. A big fan favorite, fellas.
Exciting. Yeah, it's grateful it.
Sweeps. Along and then some.
Oh, can't wait for that. Yeah, this month on Double
Feature we're talking about the Gone Too Soon, River Phoenix and
Stand by Me and Sneakers. 2 great films, 1 great podcast.

(02:10:40):
And you can listen to that by signing up to supporters on
Patreon, as mentioned at the topof the show.
Indeed. You can also listen to one of
our other great podcasts, The Watch List, while you're at it,
so no reason not to support if you could.
We were very much appreciated. period.com/all the Right Movies.
Definitely would. Thank you so much guys.
That's where you'll find our entire podcast archive,

(02:11:01):
everything we've ever created, which is a hell of a.
Lot there's a. Lot.
And if you enjoy what we do, please take 30 seconds out of
your time to give us a positive rating on whatever podcast
platform that you listen to us on.
Apple Podcast, Spotify Pod, Jaser.
Doesn't matter where, just a quick tap.
Everyone's happy. Yes, it really, really helps us
guys if you can. Just do it.
Yeah, really do that. So.

(02:11:22):
Thank you so much. In between all of our podcasts,
we are active on social media every day on X we're at AT Right
Movies where our making our movie threads are absolute gold.
Just like our podcast, they tellthe behind the scenes story from
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(02:11:45):
and insight. Give them a read if you don't
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(02:12:05):
Thanks for joining us on the ROAD Edition.
We're glad it's you. Thanks very much for listening
guys. Take care out there.
Thank you listening everyone. Come back in two weeks for the
Last of the Mohicans. Thanks everyone.
Thanks guys. I'm going to say this only once.

(02:12:40):
I would like a boiled egg and I want it running.

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Road To Perdition (2002) | Ep. 120

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Road To Perdition (2002) | Ep. 120