Koeferl- Devil's Own

Frankie/Rory's father was killed when he was only a boy, and thus he grew up with an incomplete family. When he arrived in America and met Tom O'Meara, he began to be part of the O'Meara family. Tom served as a kind of father figure for Rory, and Rory became the son that Tom never had. The pool game (Irish v. Italians) was a bonding experience between the two. Rory fit right into the family; the daughters all liked him, and he was just as much of Tom's family as his partner Eddie was at the confirmation party. It's very important that Rory was housed with this large, functional family. It represents what Frankie's life could have been like if his father hadn't been murdered. If this movie was an "American story", Frankie might have given up his life of violence and live with the O'Meara family as a normal house guest. Since it's an "Irish story", it has no happy ending, so it had to finish with Frankie's death, because he was not going to be incarcerated willingly. Family was very important to Tom O'Meara; he treated Rory as a son, so the realization that he was actually Frankie McGuire was a tough blow. His trust was betrayed, and he knew he had to try and arrest the same person that he recently housed as an honorary member of his family. The movie had a tragic ending because Tom was unwilling to slack off on his job and let Frankie go free, and Frankie was stubborn and wanted to go back to Belfast, even if it wasn't safe for him there. It was very symbolic when Tom clasped hands with Rory as he died; even though he had to stop Rory from leaving, he still respected him as a person and cared for him. Both men liked each other and shared a bond, but their characters (the cop and the criminal) had to be opposed by the nature of their roles.