First of all, ardent Jennifer Jason-Leigh fans will be disappointed to see the fearless actress so utterly defanged in a small role as The Housewife. Also, the boy recovers awfully quick following the film's pivotal moment. And last of all, it seems like a contrivance that the Tom Hanks character couldn't figure out the dirty dealings of Rooney's son. Which could all be overlooked if "The Road to Perdition" wasn't such an ordeal to sit through. If not for the people's good will towards Hanks, they'd be leaving in droves during the film's first hour. This is not a near-miss. It's a misfire. … Expand

Ponderous and boring with characters popping up unexpectedly. Very well acted. Beautifully photographed (some shots appear to be choreographed) with very rich atmosphere, it's the kind of film that is going to be seriously overated. Stick to "Bonnie and Clyde".

Self important, unconvincing, predictable. Jude Law was the only one worth watching in this. Miller's Crossing by the Cohen Bros is about a hundred times better than this waste of time.

It's a cautionary tale: If you're naughty, you might live a boring pointless life then get shot. But not soon enough.

A lot of shooting and driving, but not much else going on here. None of the action sequences develop any sort of momentum, and in the serious moments no one seems to have much of anything to say. This movie was so thin and uncompelling it made me desperate to see Goodfellas.

The most overrated movie of the year. It's both boring and implausible. The relationship portrayed are superficial. It provides yet another reason not to trust the critics.

Good christ, this movie is dull. the sort of oh-so-self-important nonsense that would've seemed important in 1986. no scene is delivered without ominous strings, tinkling piano, & all the other hackneyed touchstones of a particularly witless Alan Parker film. how any self-respecting filmmaker can continue to use the "innocent youth looking through keyhole at impending danger" shot is beyond me. all involved should be forced out of their respective guilds & all who loved it should be avoided like one avoids rheumatism.… Expand

Particularly artless, guileless, and needlessly protracted, this dud of a film mistakes being drawn-out for suspenseful, tinkly piano music for art, and atmospheric shot for heart. It lacks heart, lacks any sense of realism, fails to engage on any level, and is, without a doubt, one of the most disappointing and insipidly boring pieces of drivel I have seen in many years.

This film should have been better and it could have been.The Jude Law charactor is a waste,the screen writer should have stayed closer to the novel.Hanks and Newman were both up to the task and their talents were largely wasted.Read the novel,it's a much better story. It's a good example of someone pushing the art of film making while botching the story within the film.Bill C.

"Elf" is a small miracle. It's funny. Bob Newhart just has to sit there in that elf get-up and we're laughing. Director Jon Favreau could've gone the PG-13 route and had James Caan's character spout profanities and land punches at his seemingly freak of a son, but he wisely sacrifices a few cheap laughs for warmth and good cheer. "Elf" seemed so poised to be another stupid comedy. In the trailer, we see Ferrell burp and hurl himself on a Christmas tree; but within the context of the film, it actually works. "Elf" isn't high-brow stuff, but it certainily raises the bar, a bar that's been lowered by the collective ouevres of past SNL-cast members. … Expand