The 1930’s was a time that the Mafia ruled Chicago. During the prohibition era, the Irish mafia were top dogs. They controlled the city and its alcohol income. The film Road to Perdition directed by Sam Mendes is set in the 30’s and tells the story of gangster Mike Sullivan who works for crime boss John Rooney. The moment that Mike Sullivan’s son witnesses a brutal slaying, the lives of this 12 year old boy and his gangster father are shattered irrevocably. Now, targeted by the mob he’s devoted his life to, Sullivan and his son find themselves with nowhere to turn and a sadistic killer in pursuit. The conflict that Mike Sullivan faces is his Internal Conflict or Moral Dilemma, Sullivan has to choose between a life of crime and a life of peace. Techniques that Mendes and Conrad Hall (Cinematographer) used to portray the Internal Conflict that Sullivan faced were Camera Work and Lighting. The conflict was pivotal because it helps us visualise the two-faced life that Sullivan lived. His dark-side and his brighter family side. Throughout the film, Sullivan has to choose between living a life or violence and crime or a life of happiness and peace with his son. The three point that I will explain to you are the Internal Conflict that Sullivan faces, Why the Conflict is important and also the Techniques, Visual or Oral language features that support the conflict.
The internal conflict that Mike Sullivan faces is the choice between living a life of crime and violence or a life of peace and happiness. Mike Sullivan and his family are close with Mr Rooney. Rooney is like a grandfather to the Sullivan children, he tells Michael “ A man of honour always pays his debts and keeps his promises” this is after Michael witnesses Conner Rooney and Sullivan murdering multiple henchmen working for a