frankly and this movie have go over the head of most of it detractor . the opposite of perdition ( be lose ) be salvation ( be save ) and this movie be one of a very few to deal with those two concept . the movie also explore the love and disappointment that attend the father son relationship . it should be note at the outset that none of these be currently fashionable theme . the premise be that the father in the move and hit man michael sullivan ( tom hank ) and his crime bos john rooney ( paul newman ) and love their son and will do anything to protect them . but rooney son connor be even more evil than the rest . he kill one of rooney loyal soldier to cover up his own stealing from his father . when connor learn that sullivan son michael witness it and he mistakenly kill sullivan other son ( and sullivan wife ) in an attempt to silence witness . sullivan decide he want revenge at any price and even at the terribly high price of perdition . rooney and who in one scene curse the day connor be bear and refuse to give up his son connor to sullivan and and hire a contract killer name maguire ( jude law ) to kill sullivan and his son . so rooney join his son connor on the road to perdition . for the rest of the movie and accompany by his survive son young michael and sullivan pursues connor rooney down the road to perdition and and maguire pursues sullivan . when sullivan confronts rooney in a church basement and and demand that he give up connor because connor murder his family and rooney say michael and there be only murderer in this room and . and and there only one guarantee and none of u will see heaven . a the movie end and somewhat predictably and one character be save and one character repents . i be not a big tom hank fan and but he do step out of character to play hit man sullivan convincingly and give a subtle and laconic performance . newman do well a the old irish gangster rooney and show a hard edge in his face and manner and his eye haunt by connor misdeed . jude law play maguire in a suitably creepy way . tyler hoechlin play young michael naturally and without affectation . the cinematography constantly play light off from darkness and echo the theme of salvation and perdition . the camera draw from a palette of green and grey . the grey belong to the father and the urban landscape of depression era illinois . the green belong to the young son and that state rural flatlands . thomas newman lush and sonorous and haunt music have faint irish overtone and be play out in copland like arrangement . the set be authentic mid western urban factory and church . the home shine with gleam woodwork . the excellence of the movie lie in it generation of a unique feel out of it profound theme and distinctive acting and and envelop music and cinematography . the only negative be a slight anti gun message slip into the screenplay y and the movie only nod to political correctness . i give this movie a positive while in time it will be acknowledge a a great film .