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There's a deliciously seedy grime that seeps out of every image and guides the sparse production design of this brutal, often witty Mob saga about infamous Cleveland thug Daniel Greene and the criminal underworld he inhabited from the early '60s until his ultimate demise in 1977. Kill the Irishman may not go down in the top annals of gritty cinematic Mafia tales, but for pure brawn, attention to period detail, and the bravado of its enthusiastic cast it's a rousing tale of a real-life crime figure whose legend is well worth knowing and made more intriguing by the movie's stylish telling. Irish actor Ray Stevenson fills out the barrel-chested role of Greene with super-confident relish, as he strong-arms his way through anecdotal incidents that show the Irish-American hood rising from the docks into corrupt union jobs, work as an enforcer for local hoods, and finally butting heads with top-echelon Mob figures back east. The budget is slim, but the pared-down look works in the movie's favor by providing rough edges that grind against each other the same way the characters' egos, crusty leather jackets, and petty beefs do. Director Jonathan Hensleigh integrates actual TV news footage from the era as part of the backdrop to what was a hair-raising few years in Cleveland during the mid '70s, when rival crime figures were rubbing each other out all over the city, primarily with car bombs. Greene earned a reputation for being bulletproof--or more like bombproof--based on the number of times he escaped assassination from the bosses he gave annoyance to.
The narrative is largely a series of strung-together incidents that marked the man's rise to infamy: Greene busting his way into the unions then promptly getting busted out; Greene working as Mob or union muscle; Greene contracting to the Mafia; Greene running his own crew; Greene scheming to scam his way out of a loan shark debt. It's all briskly paced and set to the beat of period funk and soul or the Celtic rhythms that more aptly describe the spirit of Greene and his belief that he was descended from ancient Irish warlords who left him with a streak of immortality. The supporting cast is a riot of old or familiar faces that give credibility to the crime drama spirit. Christopher Walken plays an ashen-faced restaurateur and numbers-runner who takes Greene under his wing before he takes out a contract on him. Vincent D'Onofrio is a Cleveland heavy who becomes Greene's viciously loyal partner. Paul Sorvino's turn as New York boss Tony Salerno recalls his epic performance in Goodfellas, and Steven Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos) brings weight to his role as a dirty garbage man in more ways than one. Also notable among the array of aging, recognizable faces that play scarily realistic crime figures are Tony Lo Bianco, Vinnie Jones, Robert Davi, Bob Gunton, and Mike Starr. A distressingly puffy Val Kilmer shows up now and again to provide a little contextual narration as the token cop who grew up with Greene. But it's Stevenson who snarls loudest out of the pack of bulldogs in Kill the Irishman, a frugal yet richly entertaining blow-'em-up that should send his movie star stock sky high. --Ted Fry
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
`A Man You Don't Meet Everyday',
By
This review is from: Kill the Irishman (DVD)
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Good Bad Guy,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Kill the Irishman (DVD)
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?
0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
cast of thousands let down by its lead actor,
By
This review is from: Kill the Irishman (DVD)
Saw the trailer and got intrigued. The cast of thousands (Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini of "ER" fame, Vinnie Jones from all those Guy Ritchie gangster flicks, Tony Lo Bianco [say what!?], Steve Schirripa from "The Sopranos," Paul Sorvino...and on and on) is impressive in all the bit roles but the lead actor (Ray Stevenson) is sheer awful. He has almost zero screen presence. The story itself is a pretty typical Mob flick and it seems more like a made-for-TV movie the way they shot its 1970s settings.
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