Road to Perdition (2002)

A mob enforcer's son witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers:

Max Allan Collins (graphic novel), Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Rob Maxey

Won 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 82 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyler Hoechlin	...	Michael Sullivan Jr.
Rob Maxey	...	Drugstore Owner
Liam Aiken	...	Peter Sullivan
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Annie Sullivan
Tom Hanks	...	Michael Sullivan
Paul Newman	...	John Rooney
Daniel Craig	...	Connor Rooney
Ciarán Hinds	...	Finn McGovern
Craig Spidle	...	Rooney's Henchman
Ian Barford	...	Rooney's Henchman
Stephen P. Dunn	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman (as Stephen Dunn)
Paul Turner	...	Finn McGovern's Henchman
Kathleen Keane	...	Irish Musician
Brendan McKinney	...	Irish Musician
Jackie Moran	...	Irish Musician

Storyline

1931. Mike Sullivan and Connor Rooney are two henchmen of elderly downstate IL-based (Quad City area, though much of the action takes place in the Chicago area) Irish-American mobster John Rooney, Connor's father. In many respects, John treats Mike more as his son, who he raised as his own after Mike was orphaned, than the volatile Connor, who nonetheless sees himself as the heir apparent to the family business. One evening, Mike's eldest son, twelve year old Michael Sullivan Jr., who has no idea what his father does for a living, witnesses Connor and his father gun down an associate and his men, the situation gone wrong initiated from an action by Connor. Caught witnessing the incident, Michael is sworn to secrecy about what he saw. Regardless, Connor, not wanting any loose ends, makes an attempt to kill Mike, his wife and their two sons. Mike and the surviving members of his family know that they need to go on the run as Connor, who has gone into hiding, will be protected through ...

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Plot Keywords:

based on comic book | violence | dc comics | surprise ending | dog | 

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Taglines:

Every father is a hero to his son.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Make-up artist Daniel C. Striepeke's first instruction to the cast was to stay out of the sun as much as possible, as the film is set in mid winter.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 4 mins) In the diner scene, the ashtray on Maguire's table is modern pressed metal. In 1931, it would have been glass or ceramic.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michael Sullivan, Jr.: There are many stories about Michael Sullivan. Some say he was a decent man. Some say there was no good in him at all. But I once spent 6 weeks on the road with him, in the winter of 1931. This is our story.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to all at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, London

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Connections

References In Cold Blood (1967)

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Soundtracks

Someday Sweetheart
(1919)
Written by Benjamin Spikes & John Spikes
Performed by The Charleston Chasers
Courtesy of Timeless Records

User Reviews

Hall Leaves On A High Note

Conrad Hall went out with a bang. The great film photographer finished his illustrious career with this movie before passing on. He did himself proud as this is one of the best-looking crime films you'll ever see.

Of course, the acting ain't bad when you have Tom Hanks and Paul Newman playing the leads! The amount of action in here is just right, too: not too much; not too little.

None of the characters in here, frankly, are "good guys" as Hanks is a professional hit-man for town boss Newman. Hanks' only redeeming quality is not wanting his young son to wind up a killer like him, although he does teach him how to be the getaway man in robberies! Huh?

As good as the acting is and as interesting as the story is, the real star of this film is cinematographer Hall, who paints scene after beautiful scene with his lens. His work is just awesome.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Road to Perdition

Filming Locations:

Aurora, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,079,481, 14 July 2002

Gross USA:

$104,454,762

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$181,001,478

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, The Zanuck Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1