Lazo - The Devil's Own

Unlike Patriot Games, The Devil's Own seems to place much more importance on traditional nuclear families than organizational ones. This most clearly seen with Frankie McGuire's struggle with his father issues. McGuire's father was gunned down in front of him as a child, which itself is a devastating event. What makes it more traumatizing is how close he was to his father; the film with a young Frankie bonding with his father on the boat, and one of Mr. McGuire's few lines of dialogue is a very proud, "Oh, Frankie was terrific." The opening heavily implies that his father's death is what drives Frankie into the IRA.

Much of the action of the film centers on the growing relationship Rory Devaney (Frankie's new alias in America) and the O'Meara family, particularly Tom. The daughters quickly seem to take a liking to Rory: the youngest, Annie, especially develops a strong bond with Rory. Tom is the character most critical to Rory's growth. As the head of the family, he easily becomes a powerful father figure for Rory. It starts small; Tom says he's glad "to have someone else in this house who can pee standing up." Then the two go to the store, but get caught up in a game of pool to settle Irish vs. Italians. Rory is very good at pool, and he and Tom bond well as they dominate their competition. The clearest indication of Rory as an adoptive part of the family comes at the confirmation party. First, he helps comfort Annie, who seems shy. Shortly afterwards, he gets pulled into a picture by Tom, who affectionately claps Rory on the shoulder. He goes so far as to flat say that Rory is part of the family. This sense of belonging to a conventional family that was stolen from him softens Frankie. When the O'Meara's are attacked, he does what it takes to keep them safe. Perhaps he is simply trying to protect them because they are innocent, but his relationship with them is strong enough that he may be fighting to protect them because he truly feels they are the closest to family he has known.