Road to Perdition: Reflection
Road to Perdition Reflection
What did the son learn about the father on their journey?
What did the father learn about the son on their journey?
What did the boy learn about life as he travelled?
Sam Mendes film “Road to Perdition” is an excellent example of a journey, and takes Michael Sullivan Snr (Snr) and his son, Michael Sullivan Jnr (Jnr), on a journey. They both learn quite a lot, both about each other, and life itself.
Jnr. Is the first of our travellers, and we are shown who is in the first scenes of the film. As the audience, we instantly compare him with his father. The comparison shows a few things. Apart from sharing a name, they are very similar, but they both hide illegal activity from each other (Jnr hides smoking and gambling, Snr hides his crime). Despite this, they are also very different. This is shown in their conversations, which are both very formal in language, and limited.
Jnr also starts the journey with his father as an unknown, but learns about his father through their experiences, and finally understands the father’s love for him.
After seeing his father involved in the murder of Finn, he also learns of the life that his father leads. He learns that the façade Snr puts on of being a good person is in fact not true, and is in fact a regular murderer.
Jnr becomes much closer to Snr over the course of the film, and this is shown a variety of ways. The most obvious is how they are positioned at the beginning of a scene. The first example of this is when Jnr goes to tell his father that dinner is ready, which he does from the end of the hallway, and the obvious physical distance is set up. This is shown progressing whenever the pair is in the car. Jnr starts distant, in the back seat, and eventually is in control when he is driving. This reaches its climax when the pair are shown hugging, emphasising their new connection.
The best evidence that Jnr learns to appreciate Snr over the course of the film is during the ending scene,
What did the son learn about the father on their journey?
What did the father learn about the son on their journey?
What did the boy learn about life as he travelled?
Sam Mendes film “Road to Perdition” is an excellent example of a journey, and takes Michael Sullivan Snr (Snr) and his son, Michael Sullivan Jnr (Jnr), on a journey. They both learn quite a lot, both about each other, and life itself.
Jnr. Is the first of our travellers, and we are shown who is in the first scenes of the film. As the audience, we instantly compare him with his father. The comparison shows a few things. Apart from sharing a name, they are very similar, but they both hide illegal activity from each other (Jnr hides smoking and gambling, Snr hides his crime). Despite this, they are also very different. This is shown in their conversations, which are both very formal in language, and limited.
Jnr also starts the journey with his father as an unknown, but learns about his father through their experiences, and finally understands the father’s love for him.
After seeing his father involved in the murder of Finn, he also learns of the life that his father leads. He learns that the façade Snr puts on of being a good person is in fact not true, and is in fact a regular murderer.
Jnr becomes much closer to Snr over the course of the film, and this is shown a variety of ways. The most obvious is how they are positioned at the beginning of a scene. The first example of this is when Jnr goes to tell his father that dinner is ready, which he does from the end of the hallway, and the obvious physical distance is set up. This is shown progressing whenever the pair is in the car. Jnr starts distant, in the back seat, and eventually is in control when he is driving. This reaches its climax when the pair are shown hugging, emphasising their new connection.
The best evidence that Jnr learns to appreciate Snr over the course of the film is during the ending scene,