I have decided that Sam Mendes is one of the greatest living directors just after watching Revolutionary Road. With his past films being American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Jarhead. In my opinion he has never made a bad film. He gets great performances out of his actors and Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet really shine in this film. Another great touch is the addition of Michael Shannon to the cast who plays a minor role as the realators son John Givings, but really steals the show. The story is a heartbreaking one about a young family whose parents feel trapped in a life that they never intended to live. This is the subject matter Mendes knows best. I mean after all he swept the Oscars with a similar theme in American Beauty. But unlike American Beauty this film deals with a different era, with a different set of morals which complicates the characters lives more than the previous film. The tension builds throughout the film with great character studies between Frank (DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Winslet).
That being said the production design in the film is absolutely wonderful. You really feel like you are in 1950's Connecticut and Manhattan. The effort that is involved in producing period pieces always amazes me, but this film in particular has a look to it that I can only recall seeing on the T.V. show Mad Men. Whether its the cars, the houses, the clothing, the furniture, and even the kitchenware, its all been tediously recreated and really gets you involved in the time period. But Sam Mendes is no stranger to the period piece and succeeded in reproducing the 1930's just as well in Road to Perditon. Along with some great screenwriting, directing, and a moving soundtrack, all I can say is that this is going to be one of the better movies to come out this year. Check it out when it gets a wide release on my birthday January 23rd!
My rating for this film 9/10
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