The 2002 film "Road to Perdition" is a film set in 1931 and is a story of revenge by a Chicago gangster and his young son on his employer and the employer's adult son. Michael Sullivan is a gunman for Irish mobster John Rooney in Rock Island, Illinois. Sullivan has a wife Annie and two young sons, 12-year old Michael Junior and Peter who is younger. John Rooney has an adult son Connor who is a "psycho" and has caused John many problems. Michael Jr. witnesses Connor kill a man and Connor then tries to murder the entire Sullivan family and succeeds in killing Annie and the younger son Peter. Michael Senior then takes Junior with him on a tour of revenge against the Rooney gang. Some US coins which circulated in 1931 are shown. John Rooney gives Michael Jr. a silver Peace dollar and later Connor Rooney rolls a Walking Liberty half dollar around his fingers.

The first scenes are of a suburban house and then a family seated at the dinner table.

The Sullivans, Michael, Peter, Michael Jr., and Annie are a typical American family in 1931 living in Rock Island, Illinois, a city about 175 miles west of Chicago. Michael takes his son Michael to the opulent home of his boss John Rooney.

John Rooney is holding a funeral service for one of his employees.

Michael Jr. sees a coin on the deceased man's eye but does not ask about it. The coin is hard to identify but may be a half-dollar. Placing coins over the eyes of a deceased person is a custom in some cultures. Discussing business at a funeral is not polite so three men head outside.

John has a problem employee and sends Michael and Connor to "talk to him." The two men visit the employee who denies stealing money and Connor shoots him. Unfortunately, Michael Jr. was in the area and witnessed both Connor shooting the man and his father shooting another man. Connor Rooney decides to eliminate the entire Sullivan family as dangerous witnesses. John Rooney visits the Sullivans and gives Michael Jr. a silver dollar.

The next scene shows a closer look at the coin.

The silver dollar is a "Peace" variety, minted from 1921 to 1935.

One day Michael Jr. comes home from school and finds his mother and brother Peter dead and Connor Rooney walking around the house. Michael Sr. arrives and realizes that the Rooney gang are after him. He takes his remaining son and drives to Chicago to see a syndicate chief.

The Sullivans enter Chicago and Michael Sr. sees Frank Nitti, the syndicate chief. Michael asks Nitti for a job and permission to kill the Rooneys. Nitti tells him that the Rooneys are too valuable to the organization. Michael leaves, picks up his son, and drives into the country. Frank Nitti hires a gunman named Harlen Maguire to find and kill both Sullivans. Maguire is also a photographer and always carries camera equipment. Michael begins treating his son as an adult and teaches him to drive a car.

Michael begins staging robberies of banks holding mob money.

Connor Rooney decides to go after the Sullivans on his own. He likes to roll a fifty-cent piece or half-dollar around his fingers.

A little while later Connor is in a hotel room with a woman, and again he rolls a coin.

The coin is a US Walking Liberty half dollar.

The coin is a real half dollar and appears to be quite worn. The date is hard to read.

The Walking Liberty half dollar is considered by coin collectors to be one of the best looking American coins ever minted.

Silver, 30.6 mm, 12.50 gm
The Walking Liberty half dollar was minted from 1916 to 1947.

Another scene shows the cash that the Sullivans have acquired in their journey.

Michael Sr. is wounded in a gunfight with Maguire and Connor and takes his son to a farm house.

The couple Virginia and Bill take the pair in, treat Michael's wound, and allow them to stay.

The Sullivan father and son grow closer. Michael gets well and drives away with his son. He leaves a bag of cash for the farm couple as a "thank you" gesture. Michael Sr. finally goes after the Rooneys with a machine gun.

Michael then locates Connor Rooney and shoots him. Michael takes his son to a beach house where the gunman Maguire finds them. Maguire and Michael Sr. shoot each other fatally. The last scene of the film shows Michael Jr. going back to the farm house, accompanied by a dog.

"Every boy should have a dog"

Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan
Tyler Hoechlin as Michael Sullivan Jr.
Paul Newman as John Rooney
Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney
Jude Law as Harlen Maguire
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: David Self
Based on the 1999 novel Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner