After enjoying Sam Mendes’s latest film, Away We Go, and only mildly enjoying his previous film, Revolutionary Road, I decided to finally go back and revisit two of his films I hadn’t seen for a long time, American Beauty and Road to Perdition. When I first saw both of these films neither one of them lived up to expectation based on the praise and acclaim they had received. As a result I dismissed them to the back of my mind as mediocre movies I would likely never return to. That was, of course, before I started writing my own movie-based website, which means in order to keep up with the new you can’t forget the old. On top of that, opinions change over time and to make a judgment on a films you haven’t seen in seven and ten years is unfair.
So, with Away We Go expanding its theatrical reach to a whopping 132 theaters, and after getting myself straightened out and up to speed I felt why not take a look at Mendes’s first five films and open up a little discussion. This comes, I should note, on the heels of an announcement Mendes has made a two-year first-look deal with Focus Features, which includes the acquisition of two projects that could be potential directing vehicles for Mendes. You can read all about that right here, but for now let’s head to the list.
So there you have it. That’s my take and I am sure many will disagree with my top choices vying for the more prestigious pictures, American Beauty and Road to Perdition, but one of the great things about Mendes’s films is there is hardly a line to be drawn between them. His first five films are all relatively solid works and at only 43-years-old and a brand new deal with Focus I expect we will be hearing his name for many years to come.
