Michael Sullivan Sr. (Tom Hanks) is an enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) in Rock Island, Illinois during the Great Depression, circa 1931. Rooney had raised the orphan Sullivan from a child, and loves him as his own biological son, the jealous and mentally unstable Connor (Daniel Craig). During a clandestine meeting with Sullivan and disgruntled mob associate Finn McGovern (Ciarán Hinds), upset that his brother has been 'silenced' by John Rooney for an alleged betrayal, Connor snaps in anger and kills McGovern in cold blood, resulting in Sullivan gunning down McGovern's bodyguards in self-defense. Sullivan's twelve-year-old son Michael Sullivan, Jr (Tyler Hoechlin) who had secretly hidden under the back seat of his father's car, curious as to his dads 'work' for John Rooney, witnesses the event. Despite Sullivan swearing his son to secrecy, and John Rooney pressuring Connor to apologize to the other mob associates for his reckless action, Connor personally murders Sullivan's wife Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh ) and younger son Peter (Liam Aiken), mistaking him for Michael Sullivan, Jr. To protect himself and eliminate the witnesses to his crime, he then sends Sullivan to an ambush at a speakeasy, but Sullivan realizes what is happening, and rushes home to find his murdered wife and younger son, and Michael Jr, who had witnessed the aftermath and had seen Connor leaving the scene of the murders. Michael Sullivan Sr. and son escape to Chicago to seek Al Capone (Anthony LaPaglia), for work and to discover the location of Connor, who has gone into hiding.
Capone's underboss Frank Nitti (Stanly Tucci) rejects Sullivan's proposals and denies access to Capone, before informing John Rooney of the meeting (who had been listening from another room). Rooney reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), who is also a crime scene photographer, to kill Sullivan and his son. Maguire tracks him and his son to a roadside diner, feigning to be friend Sullivan, but fails to kill him. Realizing Maguire's intentions, Sullivan punctures Maguire's car tire with a steak knife before escaping.
In reaction to the Rooney ordered hit, Sullivan begins robbing rural Illinois banks that hold Capone’s laundered money, hoping to trade it for information on Connor's hiding place, and meanwhile teaching Michael Jr. to drive their getaway car. Sullivan is impeded when the mob discovers his plot, and withdraws its dirty money; discovering this, he visits Rooney's accountant Alexander Rance (Dylan Baker) at his hotel. The encounter is a set-up, with Rance stalling Sullivan until Maguire enters from across the street with a shotgun. In the ensuing gun battle, Rance is killed by Maguire's crossfire; Maguire himself is injured by flying glass shards from a shot by Sullivan, who escapes with the Rooney mob's financial ledgers. As Sullivan flees, Maguire shoots form the upstairs window and wounds Sullivan in his left arm as he escapes with Michael Jr.
Michael Jr. drives his father to an isolated country farm, where a childless elderly couple help him recover from his gunshot wound. Sullivan Sr. bonds with his eldest son, and discovers from the mob ledgers that Connor has been embezzling from his father for years, using the names of dead men (Finn McGovern's brother being one of them). As the Sullivan's depart the farm after recovering his health, they give the elderly couple much of the stolen money as a thank you gift, for their kindness. Returning to Rock Island, Sullivan confronts John Rooney with the information, while they attend Mass. Although Rooney already knew about the embezzlement scheme and that Connor was likely to die by Sullivan's hand or the mob, he refuses to give up his son's location. He passionately encourages Sullivan to leave with Michael Jr. while he can; Sullivan leaves, and Rooney mourns his departure.
Later one night, cloaked by darkness and rain, Sullivan (who had not left town, but had taken a hotel room and left Michael Jr. sleeping there) dispatches John Rooney's entire entourage with his Thompson submachine gun as they leave a popular mob hangout. He walks directly up to the uninjured Rooney, who resignedly mutters "I'm glad it was you"; an emotionally reluctant Sullivan pulls the trigger and kills Rooney, the only father he ever knew. Seeing no further reason to protect Connor Rooney, Nitti reveals his location to Sullivan, after making the latter promise to end the feud. Sullivan goes to the hotel where Connor is hiding, and kills him in revenge for the murder of his wife and younger son.
The ordeal seemingly over, Sullivan drives his son to stay at his Aunt Sara's beach house in the fictional town of Perdition, on the shore of Lake Michigan. However, he is ambushed and shot by a disfigured Maguire (who's hiring had been forgotten by Nitti), who had arrived ahead of them and secretly lay in wait, apparently killing the relatives when he arrived. As Maguire prepares to photograph the dying Sullivan in a cruel mockery of his profession, Michael Jr. appears from behind and points a gun at Maguire, but cannot muster the will to fire. While Maguire attempts to coerce Michale Jr. into surrendering his gun, Sullivan Sr. pulls out his own hidden gun and kills Maguire with one shot, before dying in his son's arms. Mourning his father's death and having no relatives left to turn to, Michael Jr. returns to the elderly farm couple to live with them. While growing up, Michael Jr. reflects that his father's only fear was that his son would become like him.
When asked in later years if Sullivan was a good or bad man, he simply replies, "He was my father."
(Base source: Wikipedia.org)
Capone's underboss Frank Nitti (Stanly Tucci) rejects Sullivan's proposals and denies access to Capone, before informing John Rooney of the meeting (who had been listening from another room). Rooney reluctantly allows Nitti to dispatch assassin Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), who is also a crime scene photographer, to kill Sullivan and his son. Maguire tracks him and his son to a roadside diner, feigning to be friend Sullivan, but fails to kill him. Realizing Maguire's intentions, Sullivan punctures Maguire's car tire with a steak knife before escaping.
In reaction to the Rooney ordered hit, Sullivan begins robbing rural Illinois banks that hold Capone’s laundered money, hoping to trade it for information on Connor's hiding place, and meanwhile teaching Michael Jr. to drive their getaway car. Sullivan is impeded when the mob discovers his plot, and withdraws its dirty money; discovering this, he visits Rooney's accountant Alexander Rance (Dylan Baker) at his hotel. The encounter is a set-up, with Rance stalling Sullivan until Maguire enters from across the street with a shotgun. In the ensuing gun battle, Rance is killed by Maguire's crossfire; Maguire himself is injured by flying glass shards from a shot by Sullivan, who escapes with the Rooney mob's financial ledgers. As Sullivan flees, Maguire shoots form the upstairs window and wounds Sullivan in his left arm as he escapes with Michael Jr.
Michael Jr. drives his father to an isolated country farm, where a childless elderly couple help him recover from his gunshot wound. Sullivan Sr. bonds with his eldest son, and discovers from the mob ledgers that Connor has been embezzling from his father for years, using the names of dead men (Finn McGovern's brother being one of them). As the Sullivan's depart the farm after recovering his health, they give the elderly couple much of the stolen money as a thank you gift, for their kindness. Returning to Rock Island, Sullivan confronts John Rooney with the information, while they attend Mass. Although Rooney already knew about the embezzlement scheme and that Connor was likely to die by Sullivan's hand or the mob, he refuses to give up his son's location. He passionately encourages Sullivan to leave with Michael Jr. while he can; Sullivan leaves, and Rooney mourns his departure.
Later one night, cloaked by darkness and rain, Sullivan (who had not left town, but had taken a hotel room and left Michael Jr. sleeping there) dispatches John Rooney's entire entourage with his Thompson submachine gun as they leave a popular mob hangout. He walks directly up to the uninjured Rooney, who resignedly mutters "I'm glad it was you"; an emotionally reluctant Sullivan pulls the trigger and kills Rooney, the only father he ever knew. Seeing no further reason to protect Connor Rooney, Nitti reveals his location to Sullivan, after making the latter promise to end the feud. Sullivan goes to the hotel where Connor is hiding, and kills him in revenge for the murder of his wife and younger son.
The ordeal seemingly over, Sullivan drives his son to stay at his Aunt Sara's beach house in the fictional town of Perdition, on the shore of Lake Michigan. However, he is ambushed and shot by a disfigured Maguire (who's hiring had been forgotten by Nitti), who had arrived ahead of them and secretly lay in wait, apparently killing the relatives when he arrived. As Maguire prepares to photograph the dying Sullivan in a cruel mockery of his profession, Michael Jr. appears from behind and points a gun at Maguire, but cannot muster the will to fire. While Maguire attempts to coerce Michale Jr. into surrendering his gun, Sullivan Sr. pulls out his own hidden gun and kills Maguire with one shot, before dying in his son's arms. Mourning his father's death and having no relatives left to turn to, Michael Jr. returns to the elderly farm couple to live with them. While growing up, Michael Jr. reflects that his father's only fear was that his son would become like him.
When asked in later years if Sullivan was a good or bad man, he simply replies, "He was my father."
(Base source: Wikipedia.org)