Road To Perdition looks gorgeous. It looks like a graphic novel sometimes, the way machine gun flares illuminate trenchcoats drenched in heavy rainfall. The look of a gangster-ridden Chicago in the 1930s is captured beautifully.

But lest I distract myself overmuch with the visuals, let me say that this also a beautiful tale, which explores the interconnected themes of fatherhood and of escaping past wrongs to make a fresh start. It tells the story of Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), a hitman who works for a big time crime boss until circumstances put him and his son on the run. His overriding concern is that his son doesn't grow up like him, but the relationship is much more complex than that.

Highly entertaining, beautiful to look at, and having something of substance to say, Road To Perdition is a real gem and should not be missed.