The father, Michael Sullivan Sr. of Rock Island, Illinois, is forced to protect his son, Michael Sullivan Jr., after he witnesses his father's friends in the Chicago mafia kill a man who refuses to pay the mob.
Although the father, who works for mob boss John Rooney, scolds the son and tells him not to tell anyone about it, the mob boss's son, Connor Rooney, decides to snuff the family out as a precaution. However, the father survives his assassination attempt, and Junior was not home when a mafia man barges into the residence and pumps lead into Annie Sullivan and brother Peter Sullivan.
The father then puts an elaborate scheme in place to protect his son and take him out of harm's way. He also wants to get back at the mafia organization that betrayed him.
The picture was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman and Jude Law. The film was based on a graphic novel of the same title by Max Allan Collins (who also wrote the novelization of the film with the same title).
In the graphic novel, the surnames are O'Sullivan and Looney, respectively.