Every Sam Mendes Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Road To Perdition

Road to Perdition was a bold choice of second feature for Mendes, and couldn't have been further from his debut American Beauty.

This haunting, searing period gangster film ingeniously casts Tom Hanks against-type as an enforcer for the Irish mob, in a film that while unapologetically pulpy and thematically familiar - adapted from Max Allan Collins' graphic novel as it is - is both stylish and richly affecting.

Hanks typically brings plenty of humanity to his role, while the supporting cast is played with gusto by Daniel Craig, Jude Law, and especially Paul Newman, in his final major live-action role and one which rightly netted him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

The real star of the show, though, is legendary cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, who passed away two months before posthumously winning a well-earned Best Cinematography Oscar for his majestic work on the film.