The scene where John confronts, and then beats, Connor is brilliant. Daniel Craig turns what could so easily have been a pantomine villain into a character with real substance. He's immoral and reckless, but also scared and almost pathetic. He submits to his father like a child, even after murdering a mother and child. Chilling, but wonderfully well acted role. Such an underrated character, also.
When Mike is sitting on the ground I can totally tell he's thinking regret. Regret of his decision to lead the life he's living and that he could've changed it. And now he's realized his decisions have cost him his wife, and child. So shitty to see and I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in that situation. Excellent acting.
The only way I can accept your idea of Mike getting his family killed is if saying Mike was a good family man who loved John for taking him in and this was the Great Depression and prohibition era. Mikes moral compass which was deeper than his mobster hitman mentality, is what made Connor hate him and plus Mike just happened to be around when Finn was starting to expose Connors corruption. So no Connor killed the family and Mike was just serving John as always but Connor had to go full blown berserker on everyone because he’s an alcoholic ass wipe thief.
thats why we love movies, for a moment we thing we are ther ein chicagos in the 30s. also say what you want about hollywood but only them big budget studios can make u feel that way
The beating scene tells us so much about John. Connor's instinct to cower & disassociate is clear proof of physical abuse growing up. His geriatric father can barely summon the strength to strike him any more. Yet, even as a grown-ass gangster, Connor is still reduced to a snivelling wreck as soon as Daddy raises his hands. That being said, the years have done nothing to dull John's resolve. The blind fury with which he berates his son shows us just how confident & formidable this old-timer must have been in his prime. Suddenly we understand how such a jovial, grandfatherly figure could have maintained such an unassailable criminal empire for so long. However, his emotional inability to be objective about Connor will ultimately be his undoing. As this scene demonstrates: he no longer has the strength to correct his son and they're both too old for either of them to change.
I can empathise SO MUCH with Paul Newman's character in this movie. No matter how much your son (or family) drives you crazy, hurts you, or causes chaos.. they're still your blood. How can you stop loving them?? Tbh if I was in Mr Rooney's shoes, the stress of it all would be too much for me.. I'd probably end up putting a gun in my own mouth.
6:07 to 9:39 to is the most beautiful melding of cinematography, music and acting ever committed to film. I defy anyone to come up with a more poweful combination of the three that has been committed to film. Sullivan's journey to see Nitti juxaposted to his son solitary angst in the midst of of sea of nameless faces is heart-rending....
It shows that Connor told his father that he killed Michael not Peter. Connor and his father had often joked about not being able to tell the boys apart or name them correctly.
What a coward to kill a defenseless woman and her child! To me when someone kills someone else with unequal defense it's an act of cowardess and its pathetic. He should have dealt with his jealously like a man, not a wimp who could only feel superior by killing a woman and child.(this comment is reguarding part 5)
No. He wanted to kill Michael Jr. because he was a witness to when Conner killed that other guy. When Paul Newman comes in to beat Conner, he says, "I'm sorry, but he would have talked." He ended up killing Peter because he got him mixed up with Michael. It's laid out earlier that they get the two confused with each other. (Paul Newman's character gets it wrong at the wake.) Later, after Peter is killed, the messenger told Michael to take the money and Peter and leave, showing that Conner thought he killed Michael Jr.
They were Rock Island Ill., the town Mr. Rooney "owns", but you can imagine it is a small Mayberry-like place. Except the Irish Mob is running it, but running it fairly. Rooney is mobster with a heart. That's why he refused Capone's offer to get involved with the unions.
i love the fact that he killed that accounting man. it shows that on the outside hes trying to stay calm and collected but in the inside hes mad asf...just had his son and wife killed wtf u expect.
To see Tom Hank's portraying such a ruthless...cold blooded,killer...kind of threw me for a loop...but he pulled it off masterfully....as usual...he's a rare bird that Hank's guy....we're all gonna miss him when he's gone!!! One of his finest peices of work......all hail Mr.Tom Hanks!!!!
"This house is not our home anymore...it's just an empty building." This is the life you chose to lead when you work for the mob, and sadly, the consequences of that life.
Like the family’s once-beautiful and pristine house, Sullivan, too, is now empty. Apart from fear of losing his only other son, he is now only driven by a thirst for vengeance.
It's interesting that without that scene of Michael crying, only about 10 seconds, it might've occurred to the viewer that he was taking the death of his mother and little brother rather lightly.
Im excited, as I just found out, there might be a continuation comming out in 2010 called Road to Purgatory... and from what I hear, it should be a really good film.
so the note that said "kill sulivan" the guy that got the note was sapose to kill Sullivan? but didnt, and Newmans son killed sullivans wife and son, so what went wrong? were they all sapost to die? im confuzed and only seen this movie once, can someone explain the first part of my comment? lmao....
Eirra15 is right, Craig's character is the one who went in and personally shot Hanks' wife and son because he didnt want the older son to squeal. Killing the younger son was a mistake but he didn't realize it. Hence everyone thinks the older son is dead (the one who was the witness); thats why Father Kelley says "take peter and leave" he was under the impression that the older son was murdered.
this was the most powerful film to me of that year. that scene when they do arrive in Chicago was mesmerizing and epic. i couldnt help it, i saw this movie 3x in theaters because it never left my mind. and i agree, that part w/ the son crying was very effective. i admit, this movie brought tears out of me. proving how much i respected it. any movie that has the power to make me cry...deserved every penny i spent on the movie.
@soulleskill What happened was, Connor (Newman's son in the film) HATED Mike (Hanks) because his father favored him. So he gave that guy the note telling him to kill Mike, and all debts are paid. The problem was, Michael (Hanks's son) happened to have detention that night, and Connor didn't know that Mike had another son. Not getting a good look at him, he shot the mother Peter, thinking he was Michael. So, Michael lived. Hope this helps! =)
Connor knew the other son as he spoke to both of them at the wake. However, both John and Connor joked about not being able to tell the brothers apart.
Yeah, his son DRIVES him crazy... killing the family of his right-hand man, not to mention his "brother"? Rooney is forced to do something he would never want to do otherwise. All because of his psychopath son.
do u think that tom hanks is one of the best actors in the world? i think he can be up there with al pacino and robert de niro this movie is in a league of its own i put it near godfather
your kidding, right? your comparing a crappy movie with horrid acting, bland music, and decent graphics to a master piece that had brilliant acting, amazing music, glorious scenery, and something that didn't really need special affects to make it good... You really have bad taste if you believe Transformers could even compete with this film.
Thanks for explanation dear, & your last words what I meant. My opinion was "they were must to make a serious deal as a consolation to avoid more bloods in stead of offering money, & offering any amount was like an abasement" but maybe I couldn't explain it well. Thanks again dear...
I think Michael may have been better off with the childless farm couple. During their stay at the farm, the wife pointed out Michael Jr's positive attributes to his father. Jr seemed to respond well to them. And no cute smart kid brother to compete with.
More like 375--385,000 dollars after all inflation and cost of living adjustments (in 2018, 25 Grand back in 1931). Yet still, such money hardly serves as any type of consolation or compensation after the horrific fate that cruelly befell his wife and child, heart shattering and evil as that was (and extremely traumatic). For NO AMOUNT OF MONEY could ever bring them back, or ease the pain and suffering of Michael Sullivan and his surviving son. No amount. Justice was going to be served one way or the other by Michael Sullivan, vengeance was his to exact (and rightfully so).
@Number7smokesForEver Your kidding.I didnt know that the sullivan character is based losely on a real gangster.To what extent is the character based?Did someone really kill his wife,and child?
music in this film is class, so is the mood the acting spectacular, jude law he was a gangster so was tom hanks spectacular performance, and that scene of the car in the field spectacular woot love this film
I didn't think so because the Mob boss (Paul Newman) came to the house in that one scene and talked with the boy......He felt confident that he would not squeal and he trusted him.
To them, it's a job to kill, but when it come's to family and friend's, they used to take a vow to never target friend's or family, because it was like shooting a guy in the back to them, it was disrespectful and considered a worse sin to them... so even though mobsters were looked down upon, they had a huge sense of honor.
Just saw this movie today. The music from 7:00 is epic. The scene where everybody is walking to down the street in slow mo and just Tom Hanks and the kid are in focus is soo nasty. It put a smile on my face.
Yes, I know the film wasn't made in 1931, but the road has been there for since the 1920's. It looks exactly the same as it did when I last drove on it in 1993 and I've seen pictures of it from the late 1920's. It was resufaced in some areas but nothing else.
Aside from all that's amazing, sublime & compelling about this movie...virtually everything, the acting, directing, dialogue, cinematography, locations & the overall theme, along with the moody, meditative & heartfelt musical score...another sub theme to the plot that is clearly obvious yet unspoken (& perhaps implied) is the historically unbroken cultural trait & grim tradition of the Irish killing Irish, often for reasons that are as primitive & tribal as they are ridiculous, asinine & avoidable. For besides the addiction to booze & that sense of clannish pride & security, along with many festering, hyper sensitive psychic wounds of an atavistic nature & which are directly linked to centuries of oppression & terror (thus these scarred psyches that are genetically inherited), the whole phenomenon & history of such internecine warfare & intra-tribal killings amongst the Irish has been an ancient, lingering characteristic that not even a vast separation between the New World & the Old Country & the intervening centuries has been able to entirely heal or eradicate, just mitigate & temper. Glimpses of it are evident in this movie (mostly Irish murdering Irish). And that holds even more true within urban areas that have a very high concentration of those pulsing with green genes, whose DNA is heavily Irish & who happen to be surrounded by those of an identical biological flavor, including all the attendant primal, unsavory & Medieval relics that haven't quite died away, these primeval vestiges of an ancestral past that still roil & simmer below the surface, that genetic lineage that still carries scars & trauma from centuries ago, at times raw & easily intensified, evolving into these nasty & savage psychoses, & following over 1000 years of foreign occupation, subjugation & genocide the memories of which had been programmed at a cellular level, including incessant tribal warfare & violence that was conducted with extreme savagery & viciousness (the type of tribal mayhem & discord unseen in all other parts of Europe save that of the equally tribal western Scottish Highlands!). That unbroken linkage, that visceral connection, those genetic memories of powerful influence & effect, that chain...primordial, emotional, psychological & spiritual...that serves as a link between the present & the past, along with all the hardship, violence, repression, terror & death that was inflicted upon those whose primal fears, rage, thirst for revenge & hatred is still deeply rooted in the DNA patterns of certain modern day Irish Americans (especially those living within certain parts of Boston), all of which usually leads to various activities, wild pastimes, indulgences, biologically driven attributes & fiercely pursued, incorrigibly die hard inclinations that persist for even generations after one's direct forebears disembarked from the boat that brought them to these shores (feelings of terrible vengeance, bursting jealousies, volatile chemical imbalances, pathological animosities, disproportionate grievances & sufferings, outsized grudge nurturing, runaway alcoholism). Such as the Irish killing the Irish, often over reasons that were petty, ludicrous & deeply primitive (having a family dynamic much of the time), the fire & fuel of which can be found in the farthest recesses of the unconscious & which were thoroughly knitted into the genomes hundreds of years ago, undying & surging, unable to be surgically removed, & atavistically activated via great emotional pain, excessive fear, bad insecurities, heightened sensitivity to criticism, animalistic envy, shared tribal outrage/warped family loyalty, creeping forms of oppression, this loony sense of hyperbolic victimization, & the madness of horrific chemical imbalances exacerbated by all that & more (Connor Rooney was definitely terribly bi-polar). And I can attest to all of that via my own personal experience, as I grew up & spent decades living in an area of Boston that is literally the 33rd County of Ireland, completely green drenched (Squantum, Quincy, Dorchester, Milton, Braintree & Weymouth!). Very tribal/insular, toxic, corrosive, unstable, brutally reactionary, precarious & ultra sensitive to outside ridicule & insults (many, not all, as I still carry this deep tribal pride regarding the very region that spawned me, so much that is awesome & wonderful about that slice of Boston). This fantastic, atmospheric & darkly compelling movie touches upon some of what I just wrote, in terms of that less than flattering tradition of the Irish needlessly slaughtering each other.
It was NOT all CGI: "A seamless 40-second driving scene in which Sullivan and his son travel to Chicago from the countryside was aided by visual effects. The live-action part was filmed at LaSalle Street, and due to the lack of scenery for part of the drive down LaSalle Street, the background of Balbo Drive was included with visual effects." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jeff Jensen (2002-07-19). "Killer Instinct", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
All people have substance, and every character in a film should do as well. Which is where Road to Perdition works so well, because every person in it has a great deal of characteristic development. A character who is just "a heartless villain, nothing more" is the product of bad writing and bad acting.
nice to see so many well-educated people who recognize this masterpiece
The scene where John confronts, and then beats, Connor is brilliant. Daniel Craig turns what could so easily have been a pantomine villain into a character with real substance. He's immoral and reckless, but also scared and almost pathetic. He submits to his father like a child, even after murdering a mother and child. Chilling, but wonderfully well acted role. Such an underrated character, also.
Where were they before they went to Chicargo
"Do not go to Father Callaway". An epic line.
LOL he knows who's "payroll" Father Callaway is on
The movie is amongst the best I have ever seen, it was actually under rated!!!
When Mike is sitting on the ground I can totally tell he's thinking regret. Regret of his decision to lead the life he's living and that he could've changed it. And now he's realized his decisions have cost him his wife, and child. So shitty to see and I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in that situation. Excellent acting.
The only way I can accept your idea of Mike getting his family killed is if saying Mike was a good family man who loved John for taking him in and this was the Great Depression and prohibition era. Mikes moral compass which was deeper than his mobster hitman mentality, is what made Connor hate him and plus Mike just happened to be around when Finn was starting to expose Connors corruption. So no Connor killed the family and Mike was just serving John as always but Connor had to go full blown berserker on everyone because he’s an alcoholic ass wipe thief.
"DO NOT go to Father Callaway." Now that is some heavy-ass subtext right there.
Father is on the payroll lol
The scene going into Chicago is gorgeous with the scenery and music, that alone is why I love this film, for it is art, not just a typical film.
Art over Money
thats why we love movies, for a moment we thing we are ther ein chicagos in the 30s. also say what you want about hollywood but only them big budget studios can make u feel that way
God I love the soundtrack of this movie. The entire movie is a masterpiece.
3:18 "If anything happens, do NOT go to Father Calloway." That's a telling statement. Their own priest would turn the kid in.
You cant thrust anyone especially child molester priests
@Allen Loser Not eliminate him, but definitely turn him over.
I CURSE THE EFFIN' DAY YOU WERE BORN! I CURSE IT! Excellent line...
"Give Mr. Rooney a message for me."
"What is it?"
BANG!
Awesome scene.
Delivered with a bang!
I thought it was an unnecessary killing
Paul Newman was an incredible actor. He is sorely and excruciatingly missed. His performance in this film should have got him his second Oscar.
Uncle Paul...
100% agree
The beating scene tells us so much about John. Connor's instinct to cower & disassociate is clear proof of physical abuse growing up. His geriatric father can barely summon the strength to strike him any more. Yet, even as a grown-ass gangster, Connor is still reduced to a snivelling wreck as soon as Daddy raises his hands.
That being said, the years have done nothing to dull John's resolve. The blind fury with which he berates his son shows us just how confident & formidable this old-timer must have been in his prime. Suddenly we understand how such a jovial, grandfatherly figure could have maintained such an unassailable criminal empire for so long.
However, his emotional inability to be objective about Connor will ultimately be his undoing. As this scene demonstrates: he no longer has the strength to correct his son and they're both too old for either of them to change.
6:14 those big open spaces. mile after mile of road and field. if you're from southernmost MI, OH, IN, WI, IL, you know what that's about.
I can empathise SO MUCH with Paul Newman's character in this movie. No matter how much your son (or family) drives you crazy, hurts you, or causes chaos.. they're still your blood. How can you stop loving them??
Tbh if I was in Mr Rooney's shoes, the stress of it all would be too much for me.. I'd probably end up putting a gun in my own mouth.
The scene between John and Connor is tremendous. Really shows what is going on inside John's head.
I've driven the road portrayed from 6:11 to 6:39. It hasn't changed from before 1931 through 2008. Amazing.
6:07 to 9:39 to is the most beautiful melding of cinematography, music and acting ever committed to film. I defy anyone to come up with a more poweful combination of the three that has been committed to film. Sullivan's journey to see Nitti juxaposted to his son solitary angst in the midst of of sea of nameless faces is heart-rending....
Can you give Mr Rooney a message for me?
So cold and so brilliant
I cant take Petter .. he is dead ! .. what a sad words .. broke my heart
It shows that Connor told his father that he killed Michael not Peter. Connor and his father had often joked about not being able to tell the boys apart or name them correctly.
What a coward to kill a defenseless woman and her child! To me when someone kills someone else with unequal defense it's an act of cowardess and its pathetic. He should have dealt with his jealously like a man, not a wimp who could only feel superior by killing a woman and child.(this comment is reguarding part 5)
No. He wanted to kill Michael Jr. because he was a witness to when Conner killed that other guy. When Paul Newman comes in to beat Conner, he says, "I'm sorry, but he would have talked." He ended up killing Peter because he got him mixed up with Michael. It's laid out earlier that they get the two confused with each other. (Paul Newman's character gets it wrong at the wake.) Later, after Peter is killed, the messenger told Michael to take the money and Peter and leave, showing that Conner thought he killed Michael Jr.
"Then give Mr, Rooney a message for me."
"What is it?"
*Bang*
They were Rock Island Ill., the town Mr. Rooney "owns", but you can imagine it is a small Mayberry-like place. Except the Irish Mob is running it, but running it fairly. Rooney is mobster with a heart. That's why he refused Capone's offer to get involved with the unions.
i love the fact that he killed that accounting man. it shows that on the outside hes trying to stay calm and collected but in the inside hes mad asf...just had his son and wife killed wtf u expect.
This guy ruffed up Tom in Miller's Crossing. He was smoking in it also...
The cinematography fused with Thomas Newman's background music gives chills down my spine.
To see Tom Hank's portraying such a ruthless...cold blooded,killer...kind of threw me for a loop...but he pulled it off masterfully....as usual...he's a rare bird that Hank's guy....we're all gonna miss him when he's gone!!! One of his finest peices of work......all hail Mr.Tom Hanks!!!!
He does a great job at balancing the caring father with the heartless assassin.
Totally
And then hugs him.... weird relationship here LOL
Great movie!
"This house is not our home anymore...it's just an empty building."
This is the life you chose to lead when you work for the mob, and sadly, the consequences of that life.
Like the family’s once-beautiful and pristine house, Sullivan, too, is now empty. Apart from fear of losing his only other son, he is now only driven by a thirst for vengeance.
It's interesting that without that scene of Michael crying, only about 10 seconds, it might've occurred to the viewer that he was taking the death of his mother and little brother rather lightly.
It lets you know that Michael Senior is in for a shock.
Imagine your own father telling you, "I curse the day you were born"
Thomas Newman- Road to Chicago
beautiful song, good lord, what a beautiful song.
This small midwestern town was right outside the 3rd-largest city in America (Chicago), so yes, there would be mafia all over the area.
Did Paul Newman Actually Say The "F" Word..?? Wow..!!!
Im excited, as I just found out, there might be a continuation comming out in 2010 called Road to Purgatory... and from what I hear, it should be a really good film.
lol James Bond is hiding from an old man like a little girl
James Bond fucked up.
so the note that said "kill sulivan" the guy that got the note was sapose to kill Sullivan? but didnt, and Newmans son killed sullivans wife and son, so what went wrong? were they all sapost to die? im confuzed and only seen this movie once, can someone explain the first part of my comment? lmao....
The messenger, after hearing they killed the younger son , must’ve been wishing he called in sick that day
This house is not our home anymore. Its just, another empty building. - Epic
The movie won an Oscar for best cinematography, no wonder,,
Eirra15 is right, Craig's character is the one who went in and personally shot Hanks' wife and son because he didnt want the older son to squeal. Killing the younger son was a mistake but he didn't realize it. Hence everyone thinks the older son is dead (the one who was the witness); thats why Father Kelley says "take peter and leave" he was under the impression that the older son was murdered.
That's right
this was the most powerful film to me of that year. that scene when they do arrive in Chicago was mesmerizing and epic.
i couldnt help it, i saw this movie 3x in theaters because it never left my mind. and i agree, that part w/ the son crying was very effective. i admit, this movie brought tears out of me. proving how much i respected it. any movie that has the power to make me cry...deserved every penny i spent on the movie.
Wish I saw this film in the theater.
I like the score which starts at 6:06. I think it's very nice and beautifully composed by Thomas Newman.
I absolutely love the music that starts at 3:32 its very subtle and mysterious and it sounds so perfect.
This movie is so freakin good!!!!
1:18 what I wish I could do to my boss.
this movie reminds me of grand theft auto
@soulleskill What happened was, Connor (Newman's son in the film) HATED Mike (Hanks) because his father favored him. So he gave that guy the note telling him to kill Mike, and all debts are paid. The problem was, Michael (Hanks's son) happened to have detention that night, and Connor didn't know that Mike had another son. Not getting a good look at him, he shot the mother Peter, thinking he was Michael. So, Michael lived. Hope this helps! =)
Connor knew the other son as he spoke to both of them at the wake. However, both John and Connor joked about not being able to tell the brothers apart.
Cinematography + score = genius combo !
@EMUmonster
I wonder if Paul Newman ever said "Fuck" in any other film....
go white sox !!!!
for both i think it was raining outside. but half the movie its raining :P
The rain death scene is beautiful :D
I have one thing to say about the Cinematography: Magnificent!
I love the scene where their driving to Chicago, it's beautifully done and the music that starts is just glorious.
Fucking James Bond killing superman's mom and brother
For me the Best performance of Tom Hanks.
I concur...
Yeah, his son DRIVES him crazy... killing the family of his right-hand man, not to mention his "brother"? Rooney is forced to do something he would never want to do otherwise. All because of his psychopath son.
''what message?''
''dont worry u wont need to say anything''
do u think that tom hanks is one of the best actors in the world?
i think he can be up there with al pacino and robert de niro this movie is in a league of its own
i put it near godfather
your kidding, right? your comparing a crappy movie with horrid acting, bland music, and decent graphics to a master piece that had brilliant acting, amazing music, glorious scenery, and something that didn't really need special affects to make it good... You really have bad taste if you believe Transformers could even compete with this film.
Road To Chicago - Thomas Newman
Good film to watch on Father's Day!
Thanks for explanation dear, & your last words what I meant.
My opinion was "they were must to make a serious deal as a consolation to avoid more bloods in stead of offering money, & offering any amount was like an abasement" but maybe I couldn't explain it well.
Thanks again dear...
I think Michael may have been better off with the childless farm couple. During their stay at the farm, the wife pointed out Michael Jr's positive attributes to his father. Jr seemed to respond well to them. And no cute smart kid brother to compete with.
They scared now. They killed Sullivan's wife and son and tried to kill him, they know Mike is on his way to get them.
1:25 All of us have wanted to do that, for one reason or another
do not go too father callloway
in a way, michael jr brought this on to his whole family. he should not have follwed dad to work.
04:10
"25000 $ "
What a cheap ! They were a wife & a kid...
yeah but you got to consider the action take place around 1930-32 wich means this 25000 is Worth around 350000 today
That was LOT of money back then
More like 375--385,000 dollars after all inflation and cost of living adjustments (in 2018, 25 Grand back in 1931).
Yet still, such money hardly serves as any type of consolation or compensation after the horrific fate that cruelly befell his wife and child, heart shattering and evil as that was (and extremely traumatic).
For NO AMOUNT OF MONEY could ever bring them back, or ease the pain and suffering of Michael Sullivan and his surviving son. No amount. Justice was going to be served one way or the other by Michael Sullivan, vengeance was his to exact (and rightfully so).
6.33 bgm copied by malayalam movie ustad hotel
@Number7smokesForEver Your kidding.I didnt know that the sullivan character is based losely on a real gangster.To what extent is the character based?Did someone really kill his wife,and child?
music in this film is class, so is the mood the acting spectacular, jude law he was a gangster so was tom hanks spectacular performance, and that scene of the car in the field spectacular woot love this film
The illuminated diner
I didn't think so because the Mob boss (Paul Newman) came to the house in that one scene and talked with the boy......He felt confident that he would not squeal and he trusted him.
To them, it's a job to kill, but when it come's to family and friend's, they used to take a vow to never target friend's or family, because it was like shooting a guy in the back to them, it was disrespectful and considered a worse sin to them... so even though mobsters were looked down upon, they had a huge sense of honor.
Just saw this movie today. The music from 7:00 is epic. The scene where everybody is walking to down the street in slow mo and just Tom Hanks and the kid are in focus is soo nasty. It put a smile on my face.
Ever heard of The Untouchables? They were the ONLY police the mob didn't control. That wasn't just a television show/movie, they were real people.
I prefer the Godfather movies, though. I think they are all an absolute masterpiece, but still, I love this movie.
"Do not go to Father Callaway". Ouch.
@futureshocker,
Deserved the Oscar in every way. Gorgeous lighting and look of the film.
That's very true, but somewhat of an odd thing to say when regarding men who murder for a living.
It's all just conforming to societal standards. Class and style? Who cares? I think clothes have transcended that snobby attitude.
Did he take the $25k, Didn’t see it in his hands when he returned to the car?
then give mr. Rooney a message for me what is it i,m the best.
From 6:18 to 7:24, the shots and music are absolutely beautiful.
A great film!
love the music that starts @ 6:23 or so-
One of my very fav scenes + soundtrack.. genious.
Yes, I know the film wasn't made in 1931, but the road has been there for since the 1920's. It looks exactly the same as it did when I last drove on it in 1993 and I've seen pictures of it from the late 1920's. It was resufaced in some areas but nothing else.
Did Newman's character order the murders of the two Sullivan men?
Would everyone stop saying this was underrated, just enjoy the god damn thing
Dope flick!
why does he hug him after beating him
You’re obviously not Irish Catholic.
@@shaneb4576 😂 fair play. Phew this was a proper throwback
Holy Shit! I just noticed I replied to a comment from 14yrs ago! You’re a good sport.
@@shaneb4576 class film, glad for the reminder
Dont go pa
That must be North Ave. Sullivan drives on from the 6:10 - 6:38 mark; thumbs up if you know what I mean
I thought it would be obvious, but yes, that is the song. Not trying to be a smartass, but you could just type it in the searchbar and find out.
Instead of going to Chicago, he should have went to NY. Joe Bonanno had all sorts of Irish associate's...
Aside from all that's amazing, sublime & compelling about this movie...virtually everything, the acting, directing, dialogue, cinematography, locations & the overall theme, along with the moody, meditative & heartfelt musical score...another sub theme to the plot that is clearly obvious yet unspoken (& perhaps implied) is the historically unbroken cultural trait & grim tradition of the Irish killing Irish, often for reasons that are as primitive & tribal as they are ridiculous, asinine & avoidable.
For besides the addiction to booze & that sense of clannish pride & security, along with many festering, hyper sensitive psychic wounds of an atavistic nature & which are directly linked to centuries of oppression & terror (thus these scarred psyches that are genetically inherited), the whole phenomenon & history of such internecine warfare & intra-tribal killings amongst the Irish has been an ancient, lingering characteristic that not even a vast separation between the New World & the Old Country & the intervening centuries has been able to entirely heal or eradicate, just mitigate & temper. Glimpses of it are evident in this movie (mostly Irish murdering Irish).
And that holds even more true within urban areas that have a very high concentration of those pulsing with green genes, whose DNA is heavily Irish & who happen to be surrounded by those of an identical biological flavor, including all the attendant primal, unsavory & Medieval relics that haven't quite died away, these primeval vestiges of an ancestral past that still roil & simmer below the surface, that genetic lineage that still carries scars & trauma from centuries ago, at times raw & easily intensified, evolving into these nasty & savage psychoses, & following over 1000 years of foreign occupation, subjugation & genocide the memories of which had been programmed at a cellular level, including incessant tribal warfare & violence that was conducted with extreme savagery & viciousness (the type of tribal mayhem & discord unseen in all other parts of Europe save that of the equally tribal western Scottish Highlands!).
That unbroken linkage, that visceral connection, those genetic memories of powerful influence & effect, that chain...primordial, emotional, psychological & spiritual...that serves as a link between the present & the past, along with all the hardship, violence, repression, terror & death that was inflicted upon those whose primal fears, rage, thirst for revenge & hatred is still deeply rooted in the DNA patterns of certain modern day Irish Americans (especially those living within certain parts of Boston), all of which usually leads to various activities, wild pastimes, indulgences, biologically driven attributes & fiercely pursued, incorrigibly die hard inclinations that persist for even generations after one's direct forebears disembarked from the boat that brought them to these shores (feelings of terrible vengeance, bursting jealousies, volatile chemical imbalances, pathological animosities, disproportionate grievances & sufferings, outsized grudge nurturing, runaway alcoholism).
Such as the Irish killing the Irish, often over reasons that were petty, ludicrous & deeply primitive (having a family dynamic much of the time), the fire & fuel of which can be found in the farthest recesses of the unconscious & which were thoroughly knitted into the genomes hundreds of years ago, undying & surging, unable to be surgically removed, & atavistically activated via great emotional pain, excessive fear, bad insecurities, heightened sensitivity to criticism, animalistic envy, shared tribal outrage/warped family loyalty, creeping forms of oppression, this loony sense of hyperbolic victimization, & the madness of horrific chemical imbalances exacerbated by all that & more (Connor Rooney was definitely terribly bi-polar).
And I can attest to all of that via my own personal experience, as I grew up & spent decades living in an area of Boston that is literally the 33rd County of Ireland, completely green drenched (Squantum, Quincy, Dorchester, Milton, Braintree & Weymouth!).
Very tribal/insular, toxic, corrosive, unstable, brutally reactionary, precarious & ultra sensitive to outside ridicule & insults (many, not all, as I still carry this deep tribal pride regarding the very region that spawned me, so much that is awesome & wonderful about that slice of Boston).
This fantastic, atmospheric & darkly compelling movie touches upon some of what I just wrote, in terms of that less than flattering tradition of the Irish needlessly slaughtering each other.
It was NOT all CGI:
"A seamless 40-second driving scene in which Sullivan and his son travel to Chicago from the countryside was aided by visual effects. The live-action part was filmed at LaSalle Street, and due to the lack of scenery for part of the drive down LaSalle Street, the background of Balbo Drive was included with visual effects."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jeff Jensen (2002-07-19). "Killer Instinct", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
All people have substance, and every character in a film should do as well. Which is where Road to Perdition works so well, because every person in it has a great deal of characteristic development.
A character who is just "a heartless villain, nothing more" is the product of bad writing and bad acting.