In Roger’s review of Mendes’ next movie, 2002’s “Road to Perdition,” he correctly predicted that it would earn its legendary cinematographer, Conrad L. Hall, a posthumous Oscar. “He creates a limbo of darkness, shadow, night, fearful faces half-seen, cold and snow,” he wrote. “His characters stand in downpours, the rain running off the brims of their fedoras and soaking the shoulders of their thick wool overcoats. Their feet must always be cold. The photography creates a visceral chill.”
Roger also greatly admired Mendes’ 2005 war drama, “Jarhead,” writing, “The movie is uncanny in its effect. It contains no heroism, little action, no easy laughs. It is about men who are exhausted, bored, lonely, trained to the point of obsession and given no opportunity to use their training.” Mendes’ fourth feature, 2008’s “Revolutionary Road,” reunited “Titanic” stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and received four stars from Roger. “They are so good, they stop being actors and become the people I grew up around,” he wrote. “Don’t think they smoke too much in this movie. In the 1950s everybody smoked everywhere all the time. Life was a disease, and smoking held it temporarily in remission.”
The following year, Mendes switched gears to direct a lighthearted comedy, “Away We Go,” which delighted Roger. “Burt and Verona are two characters rarely seen in the movies: thirtysomething, educated, healthy, self-employed, gentle, thoughtful, whimsical, not neurotic and really truly in love,” he wrote. “Their great concern is finding the best place and way to raise their child, who is a bun still in the oven. For every character like this I’ve seen in the last 12 months, I’ve seen 20, maybe 30, mass murderers.” The final Mendes picture that Roger reviewed was his 2012 blockbuster, “Skyfall,” which the critic loved. “The film is guided by a considerable director (Sam Mendes), written by the heavyweights Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan, and delivers not only a terrific Bond but a terrific movie, period,” Roger wrote in his four-star review. “If you haven’t seen a 007 for years, this is the time to jump back in.”