Road to Perdition
Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) works for Rock Island Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), during the Great Depression. Unknown to his own children, Sullivan is now Rooney's most fearsome enfor…
Road to Perdition
Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) works for Rock Island Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), during the Great Depression. Unknown to his own children, Sullivan is now Rooney's most fearsome enforcer. Michael Sullivan, Sr., was orphaned and then raised by Irish Mob boss John Rooney in Rock Island, Illinois. Rooney loves him more than his own biological son, the unstable Connor (Daniel Craig). Rooney treated Michael's family as his own family, and Michael's kids were like grandsons to Rooney. Speaking in 1931 at his brother's wake, Rooney's associate Finn McGovern insinuates that Rooney is responsible for his brother's death. At the church, Michael interjects and puts McGovern in a car to take him home. Rooney sends Connor and Sullivan to talk with McGovern. Connor wanted to go alone, but Rooney insisted that he take Sullivan along with him. Sullivan waits a few days before taking Connor to visit McGovern. Sullivan's older son, twelve-year-old Michael Jr., had hidden himself in the trunk of Michael's car and watches the interaction through a hole in the wall. McGovern denies that his brother stole anything from the mob and implies that Connor was responsible. Connor snaps and kills disgruntled associate Finn McGovern (Ciarán Hinds) when meeting him with Sullivan, forcing Sullivan to shoot the other armed witnesses in self-defense. Michael Sullivan, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) had witnessed the event secretly. However, Sullivan finds out about Michael Jr when he finds a shadow running away from the door after the shooting and chases him down. Michael Jr is not able to escape and is found by Sullivan. Despite Sullivan swearing his son's secrecy and Rooney demanding Connor's apology for the reckless action, the nervous Connor suspects witnesses and decides to act. He murders Sullivan's wife Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and younger son Peter (Liam Aiken), mistaking him for young Michael, while sending Sullivan to his death at a speakeasy. Rooney sends Sullivan to collect a debt from Tony Calvino. Connor, jealous and afraid, sends a letter with Sullivan for Calvino. Calvino reads the letter and reaches for his revolver, but Sullivan kills both Calvino and his bodyguard. The letter reads, "Kill Sullivan and all debts are paid". Sullivan rushes home. When Sullivan arrives, he discovers that Connor has already murdered his wife, Annie, and their younger son, Peter. Michael was unharmed, as he had arrived home late from detention. Sullivan escapes to Chicago with his son to seek Al Capone, for work and for Connor's location, who is in hiding. This was the time when Michael Jr spent 6 weeks on the road with his father. Sullivan offers to work for the Chicago Outfit in exchange for permission to kill Connor. Nitti rejects his offer and advises Sullivan against seeking revenge. Sullivan is rejected when asking Capone associate Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci) and Rooney is aware of the meeting. Rooney reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch crime scene photographer and assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), who likes to photograph his victims, to kill Sullivan. Maguire tracks the Sullivans to a roadside diner. Maguire and Sullivan converse seemingly casually while Michael stays in the car. Sensing the danger, Sullivan escapes the diner through the bathroom window and slashes Maguire's tires before driving away. In response Sullivan begins robbing banks that hold Capone and Rooney's laundered money, hoping to trade it for Connor, while teaching Michael to drive as the getaway. He is impeded when the account money is withdrawn by the mob and visits Rooney's accountant Alexander Rance (Dylan Baker) at his hotel for information. However, he is set up when Rance stalls him until Maguire enters, but Michael warns his father with the car horn and Rance is killed in the ensuing crossfire. Maguire is injured when a bullet shatters glass on his face and Sullivan escapes with ledgers, but as he flees Maguire shoots him in the arm. Michael drives his father to a farm where a childless elderly couple helps Sullivan to recover. Sullivan bonds with his son and discovers from the ledgers that Connor has been embezzling from his father for years, using the names of dead gang members. Believing that Rooney will call off the hit on him if he knows the truth, Sullivan heads back to Rock Island. As the Sullivans depart, they gift the couple much of the stolen money. Sullivan then confronts Rooney with the information while he attends Mass. While Rooney already knew about the embezzlement and that it must end with Connor's death, he refuses to be the one to give up his son. Rooney states that he expects that Connor will either be killed by Sullivan or by Nitti's men after Rooney has died. Rooney urges Sullivan to flee with Michael and raise him to be a better man than either of them are. One night, cloaked by darkness and rain, Sullivan dispatches Rooney's entire entourage with his Thompson sub-machine gun and walks up to Rooney himself. Rooney mutters he is glad it is Sullivan while an emotional Sullivan pulls the trigger, killing him. Seeing no further reason to protect Connor, Nitti reveals his location to Sullivan, making him promise that this will end. Sullivan goes to the hotel where Connor is hiding and kills him. Sullivan then drives Michael to stay at his Aunt Sara's beach house in Perdition, a town on the shore of Lake Michigan. However, he is ambushed and shot by a disfigured Maguire. As Maguire prepares to photograph the dying Sullivan, Michael appears and points a gun at Maguire, and Sullivan fatally shoots Maguire in the back. Michael tells his father that he could not pull the trigger, and Sullivan nods and smiles as he dies in his son's arms. Mourning his father's death, Michael finds his way back to the elderly farm couple to live with them. Michael says that he grew up there. Michael adds that he has not held a gun since his father's death. He states growing up that his father's only fear was his son would be like him and that if asked whether Sullivan was a good man, he would simply reply he was his father.
Road to Perdition
Crime,Drama,Thriller
Film Details
Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) works for Rock Island Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), during the Great Depression. Unknown to his own children, Sullivan is now Rooney's most fearsome enforcer.
Michael Sullivan, Sr., was orphaned and then raised by Irish Mob boss John Rooney in Rock Island, Illinois. Rooney loves him more than his own biological son, the unstable Connor (Daniel Craig). Rooney treated Michael's family as his own family, and Michael's kids were like grandsons to Rooney.
Speaking in 1931 at his brother's wake, Rooney's associate Finn McGovern insinuates that Rooney is responsible for his brother's death. At the church, Michael interjects and puts McGovern in a car to take him home. Rooney sends Connor and Sullivan to talk with McGovern.
Connor wanted to go alone, but Rooney insisted that he take Sullivan along with him. Sullivan waits a few days before taking Connor to visit McGovern. Sullivan's older son, twelve-year-old Michael Jr., had hidden himself in the trunk of Michael's car and watches the interaction through a hole in the wall.
McGovern denies that his brother stole anything from the mob and implies that Connor was responsible. Connor snaps and kills disgruntled associate Finn McGovern (Ciarán Hinds) when meeting him with Sullivan, forcing Sullivan to shoot the other armed witnesses in self-defense. Michael Sullivan, Jr.
(Tyler Hoechlin) had witnessed the event secretly. However, Sullivan finds out about Michael Jr when he finds a shadow running away from the door after the shooting and chases him down. Michael Jr is not able to escape and is found by Sullivan.
Despite Sullivan swearing his son's secrecy and Rooney demanding Connor's apology for the reckless action, the nervous Connor suspects witnesses and decides to act. He murders Sullivan's wife Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and younger son Peter (Liam Aiken), mistaking him for young Michael, while sending Sullivan to his death at a speakeasy. Rooney sends Sullivan to collect a debt from Tony Calvino.
Connor, jealous and afraid, sends a letter with Sullivan for Calvino. Calvino reads the letter and reaches for his revolver, but Sullivan kills both Calvino and his bodyguard. The letter reads, "Kill Sullivan and all debts are paid".
Sullivan rushes home. When Sullivan arrives, he discovers that Connor has already murdered his wife, Annie, and their younger son, Peter. Michael was unharmed, as he had arrived home late from detention.
Sullivan escapes to Chicago with his son to seek Al Capone, for work and for Connor's location, who is in hiding. This was the time when Michael Jr spent 6 weeks on the road with his father. Sullivan offers to work for the Chicago Outfit in exchange for permission to kill Connor.
Nitti rejects his offer and advises Sullivan against seeking revenge. Sullivan is rejected when asking Capone associate Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci) and Rooney is aware of the meeting. Rooney reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch crime scene photographer and assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), who likes to photograph his victims, to kill Sullivan.
Maguire tracks the Sullivans to a roadside diner. Maguire and Sullivan converse seemingly casually while Michael stays in the car. Sensing the danger, Sullivan escapes the diner through the bathroom window and slashes Maguire's tires before driving away.
In response Sullivan begins robbing banks that hold Capone and Rooney's laundered money, hoping to trade it for Connor, while teaching Michael to drive as the getaway. He is impeded when the account money is withdrawn by the mob and visits Rooney's accountant Alexander Rance (Dylan Baker) at his hotel for information. However, he is set up when Rance stalls him until Maguire enters, but Michael warns his father with the car horn and Rance is killed in the ensuing crossfire.
Maguire is injured when a bullet shatters glass on his face and Sullivan escapes with ledgers, but as he flees Maguire shoots him in the arm. Michael drives his father to a farm where a childless elderly couple helps Sullivan to recover. Sullivan bonds with his son and discovers from the ledgers that Connor has been embezzling from his father for years, using the names of dead gang members.
Believing that Rooney will call off the hit on him if he knows the truth, Sullivan heads back to Rock Island. As the Sullivans depart, they gift the couple much of the stolen money. Sullivan then confronts Rooney with the information while he attends Mass.
While Rooney already knew about the embezzlement and that it must end with Connor's death, he refuses to be the one to give up his son. Rooney states that he expects that Connor will either be killed by Sullivan or by Nitti's men after Rooney has died. Rooney urges Sullivan to flee with Michael and raise him to be a better man than either of them are.
One night, cloaked by darkness and rain, Sullivan dispatches Rooney's entire entourage with his Thompson sub-machine gun and walks up to Rooney himself. Rooney mutters he is glad it is Sullivan while an emotional Sullivan pulls the trigger, killing him. Seeing no further reason to protect Connor, Nitti reveals his location to Sullivan, making him promise that this will end.
Sullivan goes to the hotel where Connor is hiding and kills him. Sullivan then drives Michael to stay at his Aunt Sara's beach house in Perdition, a town on the shore of Lake Michigan. However, he is ambushed and shot by a disfigured Maguire.
As Maguire prepares to photograph the dying Sullivan, Michael appears and points a gun at Maguire, and Sullivan fatally shoots Maguire in the back. Michael tells his father that he could not pull the trigger, and Sullivan nods and smiles as he dies in his son's arms. Mourning his father's death, Michael finds his way back to the elderly farm couple to live with them.
Michael says that he grew up there. Michael adds that he has not held a gun since his father's death. He states growing up that his father's only fear was his son would be like him and that if asked whether Sullivan was a good man, he would simply reply he was his father..