The first portion of cinematic technique I noticed is motion contrast. Near the beginning, we follow Michael Sullivan as he rides his bike. Everyone else, is walking the other way.
After that, in the shop, He steals some tobacco as the shop keeper is preoccupied. The focus shifts quickly, and subtly, then back. It isn't known at this point what he stole. I suppose the expectation is some sort of candy. It is only after, we have two pieces fall into place; the stolen item, and a pipe. It breaks our common expectation of children.
The cinematography is used to reveal and develop the characters. Revealing things, such as, the fact Michael Jr. smokes, and hides it from his father. We learn what Michael Sr. Carries: A gun, and a rosary most notably. And then we learn about the "heavy artillery" Michael Sr. brings to "just talking."
As the movie progresses, the tone gets warmer. In the beginning, it is cold: snow and rain. Even at the funeral, the lighting tends to be colder. The beginning of the movie is also a lot darker, representing how "in the dark" the main characters of the story are.
As Michael jr. Starts to get to know his father more, the overall tone gets warmer. It gets cold and dark when appropriate: finishing business.
An interesting point of contrast: near the end, when Michael Sr. is gunned down, we expect it. We haven't forgotten that "Mr. McGuire" was headed to Perdition. Yet, everything suggests happy: The room is white, brightly lit. Even though I expected the shot, it still managed to make me jump. And the 2nd shot, also made me jump. Yet, nothing suggests that this is "wrong" - that this is a bad thing. When the scene resolves itself, it is almost surreal: 2 dead bodies and a crying child, in a featureless room.
Through out the movie, an effort was made, to have the camera moving at all times. Simple pans could work, however, they would have been boring. At the funeral, the camera moves around the table, when John Rooney and his body guards get killed, the camera moves and circles around John, as one by one, his body guards fall. The entire montage of bank robberies, the camera moves to the right the entire time. Never breaking the direction or flow. The same speed the entire time.
Even a shot where we met McGuire, the shots are fairly static, but they cut from close, to wide, as a train passes right by the window outside; perceived movement, the actors don't really move, still movement within the scene.
The movie also utilizes reflections a lot. First time I picked up on, is after Conner murdered the Sullivan's, and takes off his mask. Michael Jr. Is frightened he has been seen. But Conner is checking his reflection in the door. And then the transition from the journey to Chicago, to Chicago. Reflections, of the city on the cars windows, as the camera moves around the car.
Near the end, before Michael Sr. is shot, we see his son waving to him, in the reflection of the window.
Shadows are cast, and light patterns are created, often high lighting eyes, or something specific, within a shot, such as a bullet in a drum magazine.
This film as very well done cinematography. The cinematography tells the story just as much (if not more) than the dialog, for example, when we see Michael Jr. doing his math homework: getting nothing done.
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