7. Road To Perdition (2002)
Dreamworks PicturesSam Mendes was looking for a change of pace after his Academy Award-winning feature debut American Beauty, and he certainly found it with this adaptation of Max Allan Collins' graphic novel. A dark, gripping noir that has as much in common with the Western genre as the crime movie, Road to Perdition is a well-written and confidently directed character study that also features heavy doses of violence. The central story is that of the relationship between Tom Hanks' distant father and his son, and the repercussions that the narrative has on the bond between the two. The father/son dynamic extends to the relationship between Hanks and Paul Newman's crime boss, and also that of Newman and his biological son played by Daniel Craig. This central motif drives the story and provides the emotional core of the movie, with all three actors excellent in their roles. Another of the main themes is violence, with every major plot point seemingly punctuated by brutality from the first scene to the last. An understated, intimate and often moving crime drama, Road to Perdition also features stunning cinematography that saw Conrad Hall win a posthumous and fully-deserved Academy Award.