James Gray, who grew up in Queens, derived the plot both from things he had heard growing up and from real political scandals of the era. But the emotional fury, deriving from conflicting loyalties, a sense of betrayal, and frustrated romance, is entirely Gray's own. Every character in the film is sustained by family bonds, and every one of those characters is driven by those bonds to self-destruction.
Richard Brody
September 25, 2012