Why cast Tom Hanks for this role?

The answer's simple. More than merely a movie star, Hanks is an actor, and an actor can play any role.

My reservations about this movie aren't really tied to the actors who were cast but with the narrative structure of the film.

For me, there's an underlying heavy handedness about redemption that takes away from the grim realism of the gangster genre, and the fact that it's set in the Depression era surprised me because I didn't feel like I was transported to that time and place even though the high level of set design, cinematography, and musical score provide an excellent framework.

I got the same feeling with Francis Ford Coppola's "Tucker".

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I disagree. Hanks is not meant to be a tough gangster in this film. When it comes to the ruthless parts, there are Jude Law and Daniel Craig to look after it. Hanks' character is a man who has always lived by the code, a man who has not killed anyone directly. That is why he keeps his gun locked in a chest. It means that he is not one who intends violence. He is simply stuck in his devotion to Rooney, a man who has sort of manipulated him for his own purpose, finding him as an alternate son to the devilish Craig.
Later on in the film, as Sullivan and his son are forced to flee and the former then decides to get his revenge, even through it all, we see eventually a man, a torn apart father who is resorting to the same violence which he wanted to leave so that he can save his son. Once again, we dont see Sullivan as a baddie or a mean guy, we see him as merely vulnerable yet determined for goodness.
If you think that Hanks can do only comedies and romances, then you are obviously wrong. People need to remove the general misconceptions about any actor and judge him properly. And too many Oscars? Gene Hackman also won 2 Oscars like Hanks did. That does not mean that Hackman cant do subtler roles- watch 'The Conversation' for the evidence.

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Tom Hanks was fantastic in this film.

Why cast Tom Hanks for this role?

The only thing wrong with casting Tom "Humanity" Hanks in this role is it kept me from bothering with this movie for a dozen years.

How good could a movie be that has Hanks playing a killer?

Exceptionally good.

I thought Hanks was a great choice for this role. Sullivan wasn't a heartless psychopath like Jude Law's character and I think he just found his way into doing what he had to because Rooney looked after him and his family financially, being in the depression and all.

I think we were meant to feel some sympathy for Sullivan because he was conflicted and not cold-blooded and Hanks brought this out of the character really well.

I certainly feel that he was a better choice than Ray Liotta.

When I said I wanted to be a comedian, they all laughed at me. Well, they're not laughing now!