Hanks' character looks to Mr. Rooney as sort of a father figure, since his parents had been killed when he was a child. Mr. Rooney took him under his wing and made him one of the largest mob bosses ever. However, things take a turn for the worse when young Sullivan becomes curious about his father's work. He follows him one night to a job and witnesses his dad kill a man.
He spends the rest of the film trying to get his son away from the whole situation. Meanwhile back at home his wife and other child are trusting their old friends and quickly fall into a trap. Mr. Rooney's boys end up killing his wife and child.
The end of the movie is very dramatic and extremely important to pull this film together. Jude Law plays a small role in this film as the hit man hired by Mr. Rooney to kill Mr. Sullivan. It is so sad but the perfect ending to this tragic family story.
I would definitely rank this film also in my top ten favorite movies of all times. The plot and the color of the film as it was filmed by the great cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, and processed it differently from any other film that I have ever seen. It is sort of a sepia tent. Again, Tom Hanks does an excellent job in this film, and he continues to surprise me with his amazing roles. I am sure he will continue to make amazing films for years to come.