Μύ Sam Mendes' directorial return to the silver screen is the thought-provoking and thrilling "Road to Perdition", a film Mendes discusses in great detail on the DVD release.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture A highlight of the film is Conrad L Hall's cinematography, which is beautifully lit. The effect is often like an old Dutch master, and with those dark tones, an especially careful transfer to disc is required to retain detail and avoid grain. That has been achieved here, creating an image that even on a projection system is filled with subtle nuances and multi-layered shadows.
Sound The 5.1 sound mix kicks in to gut-wrenching effect during the dramatic scenes with precision gunfire that nails you to your seat.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary There aren't many directors who can give a good audio commentary, but Sam Mendes is a pleasing exception. This isn't a track filled with anecdotes or major revelations, but instead an honest account of exactly what he was trying to achieve with the film.
The movie's imagery was very important to Mendes, with the symbolic nature of what you're watching forming an extra layer of meaning around what you've seen before.
Effectively you get to go into the mind of Mendes, what he had issues with, the cutting of the film, and the sometimes-infuriating perfection of (the late) Conrad L Hall that he now absolutely appreciates.
Making Of If you haven't seen the graphic novel the film is based on, you get a chance to have a quick look at it in this 24-minute making of the movie.
Amongst the interviewees are Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. The latter was pleased to take on "a part of a size that is appropriate for a gentleman of my age". You can take a look at him in action in the wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, which really makes you appreciate the work of cinematographer Conrad L Hall.
Deleted Scenes There are 11 deleted scenes in this section, and Mendes is on hand to offer a commentary for all of them. Again, he delves into what each scene means, rather than trying to explain why it was left out of the movie.
Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD is a photo gallery, good cast and crew biographies, and production notes.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Region: 2
Chapters: 24
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: Multiple languages
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with music
Special Features Subtitles: All of the special features come with subtitles.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
