Road to perdition- conflict chart

Road to Perdition: Conflict Chart.
At the funeral – Finn McGovern makes speech and is clearly upset. Begins to reveal something before he’s ushered off by Connor and Mike.
External conflict: This conflict showed that there was something that they didn’t want the guests to know about. The implications of this conflict are that no one would have had to go and talk to Finn McGovern and he wouldn’t have been murdered.


Michael Jr witness murder of Finn McGovern. Finn’s last lines “You’ve been spending so much time in Chicago”. A witness of an external conflict, leading to an internal one. This scene is the inciting event in the film. The implication of this scene is the what makes the rest of the film.


Michael Jr has a fist fight at school.
External conflict: This scene is that’s showing how the father’s life is affecting his sons life and how his son is following in his father’s footsteps (gang life)

Mike goes to the club, and discovers Connor wants him dead.
Internal/External Conflict: This is something that he can’t really do anything about accept try to get them before they get him. The implication of this is that Michael goes straight home to try and save his family them but he is too late.

Connor Rooney kills Mrs. Sullivan and Peter.
External conflict: This scene is the cause for Michael’s death, because he asks for permission to kill 007 and the gang hire the killer photographer.


Mr. Rooney confronts Connor about murder and curses the day he was born.
This is an external conflict. This tells the audience it was only connor that wasn’t loyal, that the rest of the gang wouldn’t have killed the family.

Michael Jr sitting amongst business men reading newspapers, crying.
Internal conflict: Mike expressing his feelings, grieving for his loss. Showing what’s been caused, and the result of his family’s murder.


Michael Sr meets Killer photographer at the diner, they pass conversation and then Michael escapes out the bathroom. The photographer shoots after them.
External conflict. It’s the the photographer trying to murder Michael. An external fight. This scene means that Michael now knows someone’s after him.


Mike Sr confronts the accountant and demands information about the accounts. The photographer comes in a kills the accountant, while Mike narrowly escapes with a gunshot wound and the box of files about Connor’s bank withdrawals
External conflict: This scene is what leads to Michael’s death; because if he hadn’t of injured the photographer, the photographer wouldn’t have had a reason to seek revenge. Also Michael getting injured gives Micheal a safe place to go when his father dies, as they go to the country house and make friends. This scene creates the happy ending.

Michael is getting ready to go and kill the Rooney’s, Mike is unsure about it but goes back to bed anyway. Internal: This scene leads to a deeper connection between father and son. This scene allows the two to realize how much they love each other.

Mr. Rooney and his men come out from a building to go home and Mike shoots them all dead from the shadows. He leaves Mr. Rooney until last.
External conflict: The implication of this scene is that it allows michael revenge on the man who killed his family. This scene, in making them feel safe, making them feel as though no one is after them.

Mike kills Connor Rooney in the bath.
External conflict. This is Michael getting revenge for his familys murder and also insuring safety for Michael and Mike. The implications of this scene is that they have killed off the last connection the two have to the gang life, freeing them and allowing them to move on with life.

Mike walks into his sister’s lounge in Perdition and the photographer shoots him from behind. Michael Jr walks in to find his dad lying in the ground. He picks up The photographer gun and tries to shoots him, but Mike Sr shoots him instead.
Internal/external conflict: Father not wanting the son to turn out like him, we see a major struggle in Mike when he’s trying to shoot the photographer to save his son from having to do it. This scene is an ending scene. This scene allows Michael to live his life freely; he knows now that he won’t be brought into the gang life.