Fails the Bechdel test

Road to Perdition

Name: Road to Perdition
Released: 2002

2002. Directed by Sam Mendes, written by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner and David Self.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
6 women characters. 5 of them speak.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 0 out of 3.

The film

1931. Mike Sullivan and Connor Rooney are two henchmen of elderly downstate IL-based Irish-American mobster John Rooney, Connor's father. In many respects, John treats Mike more as his son, who he raised as his own after Mike was orphaned, than the volatile Connor, who nonetheless sees himself as the heir apparent to the family business. One evening, Mike's eldest son, twelve year old Michael Sullivan Jr., who has no idea what his father does for a living, witnesses Connor and his father gun down an associate and his men, the situation gone wrong initiated from an action by Connor. Caught witnessing the incident, Michael is sworn to secrecy about what he saw. Regardless, Connor, not wanting any loose ends, makes an attempt to kill Mike, his wife and their two sons. Mike and the surviving members of his family know that they need to go on the run as Connor, who has gone into hiding, will be protected through mob loyalty, especially by John, who cannot turn on his own flesh and blood. Still, Mike has to figure out a way for retribution for what Connor did, while still protecting him and his family, not only from Connor, but from John and his fellow associates. Through it all, Mike wants those in his family that had no say in what he chose as a living, to have some redemption for their eternal souls.

Released: 12 Jul 2002
Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rated: R
IMDb: 7.6 / 10
Metascore: 72 / 100
Awards: Won 1 Oscar. 23 wins & 82 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Sullivan 181 lines, man
Michael 83 lines, man
Rooney 52 lines, man
Connor 41 lines, man
Maguire 32 lines, man
Nitti 27 lines, man
Rance 24 lines, man
Peter 16 lines, man
Frank 12 lines, man
Kelly 12 lines, man

Full cast, 36 people

Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan
Paul Newman as John Rooney
Jude Law as Harlen Maguire
Tyler Hoechlin as Michael Sullivan, Jr.
Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney
Stanley Tucci as Frank Nitti
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Annie Sullivan
Liam Aiken as Peter Sullivan
Dylan Baker as Alexander Rance
Ciarán Hinds as Finn McGovern
David Darlow as Jack Kelly
Kevin Chamberlin as Frank the Bouncer
Doug Spinuzza as Calvino
Kurt Naebig as Tenement Murderer
Duane Sharp as Father Callaway
Michael Sassone as Motel Manager
Roderick Peeples as Nitti's Henchman
Keith Kupferer as Nitti's Henchman
Lara Phillips as Ruby the Waitress
Mina Badie as Betty the Waitress
Heidi Jayne Netzley as Prostitute
Lance Baker as Crime Scene Policeman
Nicolas Cade as Boy Michael Fights
John Judd as Rooney's Business Associate
Kerry Rossall as Rooney's Henchman
Ian Barford as Rooney's Henchman
Rob Maxey as Drug Store Owner
Maureen Gallagher as Michael's Teacher
Diane Dorsey as Aunt Sarah
Harry Groener as Mr. McDougal
Peggy Roeder as Farmer Virginia
James Greene as Farmer Bill
Anthony LaPaglia as Al Capone (uncredited)
Paul Turner as Finn McGovern's Henchman
Craig Spidle as Rooney's Henchman
Jack Callahan as Rooney's Business Associate

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 5 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 4% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 207

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 5	0	4
6 to 10	0	1
11 to 15	2	5
16 to 20	1	14
21 to 25	0	28
26 to 30	1	32
31 to 35	0	0
36 to 40	0	3
41 to 45	0	33
46 to 50	4	5
51 to 55	0	26
56 to 60	1	21
61 to 65	0	14
66 to 70	0	0
71 to 75	0	0
76 to 80	0	8
81 to 85	0	26
86 to 90	0	2
91 to 95	0	8
96 to 100	0	37
101 to 105	0	14
106 to 110	0	1
111 to 115	5	9
116 to 120	7	30
121 to 125	0	16
126 to 130	0	19
131 to 135	2	24
136 to 140	0	20
141 to 145	0	6
146 to 150	0	4
151 to 155	0	15
156 to 160	0	10
161 to 165	0	1
166 to 170	0	4
171 to 175	0	4
176 to 180	6	27
181 to 185	0	3
186 to 190	0	22
191 to 195	0	3
196 to 200	0	0
201 to 205	0	14
206 to 207	0	3

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 5 are women's.

29 lines from women, 516 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

6 women and 26 men in the cast. 5 women and 19 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 6 of 566. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 122 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 3% of the words (136), men 97% (4,340). Women have 5% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit D: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

Exhibit E: behind the camera

2 of the 12 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 25% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Sam Mendes (man)
Written by: David Self (man)
Produced by: Dean Zanuck (man), Sam Mendes (man), Richard D. Zanuck (man), Glenn Williamson (man)
Shot by: Conrad Hall (man)
Edited by: Jill Bilcock (woman)
Music by: Thomas Newman (man)
Production design by: Dennis Gassner (man)
Costumes by: Albert Wolsky (man)
Cast by: Debra Zane (woman)