‘Road To Perdition’. The Ultimate Father/Son Film? Perhaps.
A Film Review.
*SPOILER ALERT*
“Sons were put on this earth to trouble their fathers.”
This one line perhaps sums up the period crime/drama, ‘Road To Perdition’ (2002) better than any other.
Directed by Academy-Award winning filmmaker, Sam Mendes (‘American Bueaty’ ,‘Jarhead’ ,‘Skyfall’) and written for the screen by David Self; ‘Road to Perdition’, at its heart, is a film which examines the often complex relationship between father & son.
It achieves this through the evolution of three crucial relationships which we’re going to breakdown in this review in order to determine if ‘Road To Perdition’ is in fact the ultimate father/son film.
Introduction
Now, I remember first watching this film with my own father one evening during the Summer of 2003. I was young enough to enjoy the bliss of watching a film alone with my dad yet old enough to comprehend the allegories which would go on to define my own relationship with him.
The film boasts an impressive cast which includes Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci and the late Paul Newman in what would be his final on-screen performance.
We’re first introduced to Micheal Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) through the memory of his eldest son, Micheal (Tyler Hoechlin). Recounting the six weeks the pair spent on the road together in the Winter 1931.
From the onset of the film, it becomes evident the two are at odds. Seemingly sharing little in common, with Hanks delivering a stoic performance seldom seen throughout his career. This is contrasted almost perfectly with his son’s jovial disposition.
Like most sons, he’s all-too-eager to please his father.
This inevitably lands young Micheal in the crosshairs of the insidious, Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), son of Irish crime boss, John Rooney (Paul Newman). Dangerous and unpredictable, Craig plays the role of spoiled megalomaniac without fault.
By the time we reach the second act in our story we have a clear understanding of three crucial relationships which begin to dramatically evolve over the course of the film —
There’s the relationship between Micheal Sullivan, Sr. and his eldest son Micheal, the one between John Rooney and his devious son, Conner and then there’s the bond between Sullivan, Sr. and his employer, John Rooney.
John regards Micheal as a son, a sentiment showcased poetically and publicly during an impromptu piano ballad the two share during a wake.
Following the tragic murder of Sullivan’s wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and youngest son (Liam Aiken) at the hands of Conner; Micheal is forced to take his son on the run, permanently fracturing old relationships while forging new ones.
Like Father, Like Son.
It’s Micheal’s engagement with his own son which now takes center-stage.
For me, the heart of the film lies in the tender, often awkward beats of conversation by which father and son begin to truly understand one-another. This is exemplified beautifully during Micheal’s recovery from an assassination’s bullet at a rural farmstead.
“Did you like Peter more than me?” asks a young Micheal of his father one quiet evening; A question which catches him off-guard. “No, Micheal. I loved you both the same.”
“But you were different with me.”
The greatest untold truth of the film is finally revealed when Micheal’s father admits, “..You were more like me. And I didn’t want you to be.”
“I’m Glad It’s You.”
This exchange leads to renewed understanding and devotion between the two. A mirrored conversation in the basement of a church exemplifies the lengths to which a father remains devoted to their sons, when Micheal Sullivan confronts John Rooney with news that Conner has been stealing from his father for years. This is news to which John admits full knowledge of. Refusing, regardless to give up Connor and instead urges Micheal to take his son and leave.
“And if I go?” Sullivan asks. “Then I will mourn the son I lost,” Rooney replies tearfully.
Sullivan goes on to kill John Rooney; the very the man who gave him everything, who became a father to Micheal. He, too, would go on to kill his son, Conner; the very man who took everything away, leaving him a son he thought he hardly knew.
Parting Thoughts
I would be particularly remiss if I failed to mention Thomas Newman’s heartbreaking and nostalgic original score which adds yet another layer of depth and emotion to these powerful performances.
I encourage my readers to listen to the titular track, ‘Road To Perdition’ from the original soundtrack and to meditate on your most cherished relationships. (Be sure to have your tissues handy!)
“I saw then, that my father’s only fear was that his son would follow the same road.”
The bonds between father and son are often rooted in self-reflection. Micheal Sullivan admits his son is most like him and thus keeps his distance out of a perceived fear that his son will go down a similar path in life.
The medium of cinema as a tool to effectively communicate one’s point-of-view is an ever present force for truth and understanding.
I was young Micheal Sullivan’s age when I first watched this film with my father all those years ago, who in turn was approximately the same age as Micheal Sullivan, Sr.
I could relate entirely to young Micheal’s desire to understand his father better. The experience of watching this film with my own father thus allowed me to articulate these feelings without uttering a single word.
In a way, the film spoke for us both.
I was able to recognize from that moment onward, how incredibly fortunate I was to not only have a father who raised us to want for nothing in life, but to have a friend. Perhaps not the friend you wanted or expected at times, but always the friend you needed.
Young Micheal’s journey ends having learned a similar lesson —
“When people ask me if Micheal Sullivan was a good man, or if there was just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I tell them –
“He was my father.”
So what do you think? Is‘Road To Perdition’ the ultimate father/son film?
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
