Kill the Irishman [Blu-ray]

Set in Cleveland during the 1970's, this film from director Jonathan Hensleigh (`The Punisher' series) tells the true -ish story of Danny Greene. He was an impoverished second generation Irish man, but in America the apple never falls far from the tree, so he is still considered to be Irish - hence the title. I am second generation Irish, but feel totally English except that I do better singing when intoxicated (it's in the genes apparently). Any hoo, Danny (Ray Stevenson) is a big man with big ideas and a streak of pride that garners him admiration and the enmity of people in equal measure.

He starts on the docks and soon becomes the spokesman for the Longshoreman; his unofficial role soon becomes bona fide when he unceremoniously ousts the corrupt Union Boss. However, the power soon gets to him, actually before the paint has dried on his new green stairway. His carefree attitude towards other peoples' property soon gains him the attention of the mafia. As per usual everyone wants a split. Danny meanwhile gets busted and has to start all over.

This is a hard and gritty tale that uses some of the news reels from the time and it is amazing how many bombs were detonated around this time, like a microcosm of Beirut. Danny seems to have nine lives and a fear of no-one, it all builds up a head of steam that sees him upsetting one person too many and then all hell kicks off.

This is a well made and acted film that sadly went straight to DVD, well who wants to go to the cinema anyway? Apart from lots of people with their money that is. Besides that this ticks all the boxes, there is a love interest, there are some famous names, like Val Kilmer as the good cop who put his badge first. The nasty crime boss, Shonder Birns played by Christoher Walken and loads of proper unchoreographed action. There is also great period detail with some fantastic old American cars, that all too frequently end up in a failed bid to reach outerspace thanks to the addition of some explosives. There is also Vinny Jones who does for the Irish accent what Dick van Dyke did for Cockneys, but he is quite likeable despite that.

All in all a well made and paced film and at 101 minutes is perfectly timed too, the music is good also; there is so much to like here that if gangster type films is your thing, then it would be churlish not to give it a go - recommended.

I watched this movie for several reasons: Cleveland, Danny Greene, the Mob, and my personal liking of gangster movies, especially those that chronicle recent history. On all counts, I was enormously satisfied. The movie does a very good job of showcasing the old Cuyahoga district of Cleveland and its famous waterfront. This was where Danny, an Irish-Catholic lad, grew up in the rough-and-tumble, violent environment of American gangsterism. Fighting for his very survival seems to be Danny's calling in life. As the movie describes, he was more than able to handle his own when it came to squaring off against and outsmarting even the most formidable of foes like the local and national Mafia families who had Cleveland tied around their little finger. A rogue himself, Danny knew how to push back when it came to challenging the territorial claims of equally ruthless men who ran all kinds of criminal activities: gambling, prostitution, intimidation, loan sharking and drugs. Danny wants a part of the action and, to get it, is prepared to go to war with anyone standing in his way. One can't help cheering for his fearless determination to get what he thought was his. His campaign took many twists and turns as he contended with assassination attempts, muggings, police investigations and numerous betrayals. The movie concludes with a Samson-like irony that really shows the power of the man to make a real positive difference in life, even though his name was associated with much that is evil. Ray Stevenson is a fine actor who does justice to Greene's burly, gritty and invincible nature. However, I am still left with few clues as to how Greene was able to withstand all those attacks on his life, especially during the early 1970s when the city was inundated with dozens of bomb explosions. Was the Mafia that inept that they couldn't lay a hand on Greene until he became too cocky for his own good?

Kill the Irishman is based on the true story of Danny Green who rise to fame in his own right.
with his fist no doubt.in 1976 thirty-six bombs exploded across Cleveland as the turf war between Green and
the mob. the Irishman they couldn't kill and when they finally kill him he brought everyone else with him down.
because the hit-man that was sent to kill him turn on the mob and twenty-one of them was arrested for
racketeering which they never recover from to this day.this guy was a no holds bar kind of guy when he
say the party over you better believe it's over cause he'd beat you to a pulp.this is one gritty crime story
and some unforgettable characters as well like john nardi [Vincent D'Onofrio] who green team up with and shondor birns
[Christopher Walken] the lone shark he turn the tables on and subsequently blow him up in a car bomb
actually the same way green died.tit for tat i guess you live by the sword you die by the sword that's what they say
i just love movies like this so much.
this includes the documentary of Danny green
the rise and fall of the Irishman.