History Film / RoadToPerdition

* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
** The Looney family from the comic (and from real life) became the Rooney family for the movie.
** Likewise, the O'Sullivans became the Sullivans.

* KubrickStare: Connor gets a ''very'' unsettling one after the "apology" scene, complete with a slow zoom-in and a rack focus to bring his face into detail.

-->You think you're so smart? You think we don't know? I mean you've been spending all that time in Chicago — [BoomHeadshot]

* DepthDeception: Michael Jr. approaches the front door of his house, seeing Connor approaching [[spoiler:after he has killed his mother and brother]], and freezes when Connor appears to stare directly at him through the door's window, but it turns out [[spoiler:Connor was actually looking at his own reflection]]. After Michael realizes this, he has time to hide before Connor leaves the house.

* GoryDiscretionShot: Subverted. Michael shoots [[spoiler:Connor]] in his bath; we see Michael through the bathroom doorway, but his victim is off-camera. Then the bathroom door swings shut, and we see—reflected in the mirror on the bathroom door—the victim slumped in the bathtub, with his brains blown over the bathroom wall. Played straight with the death of [[spoiler:the elder Rooney]].

-->You think you're so smart? You think we don't know? I mean you’ve been spending all that time in Chicago — [BoomHeadshot]

* ArtImitatesArt: Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall sought to give the film the look of the works of Creator/EdwardHopper. The assassination of [[spoiler: Connor, via DeadlyBath,]] is modeled on Jacques-Louis David's famous painting ''The Death of Marat''.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Michael Sr. dies, but the kid lives, and in the comic, grows up to become a priest.]]

--> '''Michael Sullivan Sr.:''' He [Connor] murdered Annie and Peter!
--> '''John Rooney:''' There are only murderers in this room! Michael! Open your eyes! This is the life we chose, the life we lead. And there is only one guarantee - none of us will see heaven.
--> '''Michael Sullivan Sr.:''' Michael could.
--> '''John Rooney:''' Then do everything that you can to see that that happens.

* BottomlessMagazines: Zigzagged in the hotel shootout between Michael Sr. and Harlen Maguire. Maguire fires six shots from a five-round shotgun, while Michael has four bullets in a seven-round pistol magazine (when Michael fires the shot that disfigures Maguire, the slide on Michael’s pistol locks back, indicating that the magazine is empty).

--> "I'm glad it's you."

--> '''Michael Sullivan, Sr.:''' He murdered Annie and Peter!
--> '''John Rooney:''' [[VillainHasAPoint There are only murderers in this room!]] Michael! Open your eyes! This is the life we chose, the life we lead. And there is only one guarantee — none of us will see heaven.

* PsychoForHire: Maguire.

--> '''Connor Rooney:''' I can look after myself.
--> '''Frank Nitti:''' No, you can't! This is the point. You're a big baby who doesn't know his thumb from his dick!

-->'''Mr. Kelly:''' Think, Mike. Don't be stupid. I'm just the messenger.
-->'''Michael:''' Then give Mr. Rooney a message for me.
-->'''Mr. Kelly:''' What is it?
-->'''Michael:''' [''Shoots Mr. Kelly in the head'']

* SpellMyNameWithAnS

* UnseenEvil: Capone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a sense of mystery and fear behind the most powerful man in Chicago and the power resting behind Frank Nitti[[note]] although by the time the movie is set, Capone's best days were behind him (see GracefullyDemoted above), nobody knew this yet[[/note]]. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OT9oZXTlCLM A scene]] with him was filmed, but was left out of the final cut despite the director admitting he loved the performance.

--> You obviously know exactly who you're messing with... but... why?

A 2002 film, directed by Creator/SamMendes, based on the comic of the same name by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner (itself inspired by the manga ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub''). [[TheIrishMob Mobster]] Michael Sullivan (Creator/TomHanks), and his son Michael Jr., (Creator/TylerHoechlin) who followed him to work, witness the mob boss John Rooney (Creator/PaulNewman)'s son Connor (Creator/DanielCraig) shoot a fellow employee ([[Creator/CiaranHinds Ciarán Hinds]]) for [[StealingFromTheTill embezzling from]] the gang.

A 2002 film, directed by Creator/SamMendes, based on the comic of the same name by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner (itself inspired by the manga ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub''). [[TheIrishMob Mobster]] Michael Sullivan (Creator/TomHanks), and his son (Creator/TylerHoechlin) who followed him to work, witness the mob boss (Creator/PaulNewman)'s son Connor (Creator/DanielCraig) shoot a fellow employee ([[Creator/CiaranHinds Ciarán Hinds]]) for [[StealingFromTheTill embezzling from]] the gang.

* ArtImitatesArt: Sam Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall sought to give the film the look of the works of Creator/EdwardHopper. The assassination of [[spoiler: Connor]] is modeled on Jacques-Louis David's famous painting ''The Death of Marat''.

* BeautyInversion: Harlen Maguire is a balding, hunched, brown-toothed man with an ill-fitting bowler hat and generally creepy mannerisms; not what the audience was expecting from Creator/JudeLaw.

* ChurchgoingVillain: Mike and Mr. Rooney are both Irish Catholic and Mr. Rooney is seen praying in church, but they both also accept that their choices will keep them from ever entering Heaven.

* DeadlyBath: [[spoiler:Connor.]] Also, Mrs. Sullivan is giving the younger son, Peter, a bath when Connor comes to shoot them.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Every named non-historical character dies except Michael the younger (and John Looney in the comic).]]

* UnseenEvil: Capone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a sense of mystery and fear behind the most powerful man in Chicago and the power resting behind Frank Nitti[[note]] although by the time the movie is set, Capone's best days were behind him (see GracefullyDemoted above), nobody knew this yet[[/note]]. A scene with him was filmed, but was left out of the final cut despite the director admitting he loved the performance.

* TheMafia: While most of the movie is about TheIrishMob, the largely Italian-American gang called the Chicago Outfit are the real power of the underworld, and appear as [[GreaterScopeVillain Greater Scope Villains]]. Technically the Outfit were not part of the actual organization known as "UsefulNotes/TheMafia" but it's the same pop cultural archetype of hard-nosed Italian-American gangsters in nice suits.

* UnseenEvil: Capone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a greater sense of mystery and fear behind the most powerful man in Chicago[[note]] although by the time the movie is set, Capone's best days were behind him (see GracefullyDemoted above), nobody knew this yet[[/note]]. A scene with him was filmed, but was left out of the final cut despite the director admitting he loved the performance.

* UnseenEvil: Capone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a greater sense of mystery [[note]] although by the time the movie is set, Capone's best days were behind him (see GracefullyDemoted above), nobody knew this yet[[/note]]. A scene with him was filmed, but was left out of the final cut, despite the director admitting he loved the performance.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Rooney, who, as his mooks are gunned down around him, simply stands there and awaits his fate, before looking Michael in the eye and saying...]]
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: "[[TearJerker I'm glad it's you.]]"

** On an even greater scope, there's Nitti's own boss, Al Capone, who [[UltimateEvil never even appears in the movie]].

* UltimateEvil: Capone is deliberately kept off-camera to evoke a greater sense of mystery [[note]] although by the time the movie is set, Capone's best days were behind him (see GracefullyDemoted above), nobody knew this yet[[/note]]. A scene with him was filmed, but was left out of the final cut, despite the director admitting he loved the performance.

* GreasySpoon: The Michael Sullivans ''very narrowly'' avoid an assassination attempt in one of these. Michael Sr. even small-talks with a waitress who brings his fried chicken and coffee, and Maguire — posing as an IntrepidReporter—also orders coffee with [[SweetTooth an enormous heaping of sugar]]. While Michael Sr. and his son just barely escape, Maguire kills a cop who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Later, they divide up the money they got from RobbingTheMobBank in another diner, and when asked what they do for a living, Michael Jr. [[SarcasticConfession bluntly says they're bank robbers, but this is taken as a joke]].

* MoralEventHorizon: [[invoked]]This is almost the exact meaning of "perdition" — being doomed to go to hell once and for all, with no chance of salvation (hence Rooney's "none of us will see heaven").

* TheMafia: While most of the movie is about TheIrishMob, the largely Italian-American gang called the Chicago Outfit are the real power of the underworld, and appear as [[GreaterScopeVillain Greater Scope Villains]]. Technically the Outfit were not part of the actual organization known as "UsefulNotes/TheMafia" but it's the same pop cultural archetype of hard-nosed Italian-American gangsters in nice suits.

%%** The shootout in the rain.%%