Kill the Irishman (2010) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Crime | Thriller

Based on the true story of Danny Greene, the man the mob couldn't kill.

Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonated across Cleveland as a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) and the Cosa Nostra. Based on true events, this "explosive crime story with unforgettable gritty characters" - Marshall Fine, Huffington Post - chronicles Greene's legendary rise from local trouble-maker to top mob enforcer. Turning the tables on loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken) and joining forces with gangster John Nardi (Vincent D'Onofrio), Greene cut his ties to the Mafia, and began moving in on their turf. Surviving countless assassination attempts, Greene's infamous fearlessness and brutality eventually led to the collapse of mafia syndicates across the U.S. and earned him the status as the one man the mob couldn't kill. Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, Kill The Irishman also stars Val Kilmer, Paul Sorvino and Linda Cardellini.

User Comment: NemedyNM from Germany, 5 May 2011 • I'm not often writing critics on IMDb, but when i checked the page of this movie I was really surprised that there were so few reviews.

I must confess that I haven't heard anything about this movie before I read that there will be free theater screenings of "Kill the Irishman" in my hometown. As far as i know, the film also had a very limited theater release in the USA, which is a sad thing because this movie was surprisingly good and well-crafted and was one of the best films I've seen in the last months.

The film tells the true story of Danny Greene, a tough irish gangster - and let me tell you, it is definitely a story worth telling.

I guess many of you are informed about the story of Danny Greene, so i won't go further into the story.

The movie features an impressive cast including Ray Stevenson, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken and many other familiar faces known from other mob movies. Ray Stevenson gives an incredibly good performance as Danny Greene and manages to keep his character really violent, but also likable. This movie could give him a career boost for bigger roles.

The direction and the cinematography are very nice and i'm hoping this movie will enable Jonathan Hensleigh more work soon, because he's definitely a talented craftsman.

In some reviews i read that other people complained that this movie is just a ripoff of Goodfellas. That isn't true. The movie stands well on his own, despite featuring some actors known from Goodfellas, and wasn't that also the case in Shows like The Sopranos? Why complain about that? And last but not least, it IS a true story and who grows sick of seeing good mobster movies? Definitely not me.

Summary: Very underrated.

User Comment: calico2-1 from United States, 8 May 2011 • Review by Ruby: If you are reading this, you have probably read the background info about The Irishman Danny Greene and his Italian buddy John Nardi who worked and broke the law many times over in the streets of Cleveland throughout the 1970s. In addition to Greene and Nardi, many of the cast members were familiar "mob types," and testosterone was practically flying off the screen in the midst of bravado, fistfights, gunfire, and countless explosions. But there was an actual story to follow also, so it offered more substance than much of the drivel that manages to run in the theatres today.

Even though they were gangsters, Greene and Nardi were surprisingly likable characters—for killers, that is—mostly because of the charismatic acting of the two leads, Ray Stevenson and Vincent D'Onofrio. The supporting characters were interesting also, including the talents of Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Steve Schirripa, Paul Sorvino, Tony Lo Bianco, and Mike Starr.

Interspersed with the actors' scenes were actual clips of film footage from local newscasts of the day, which added authenticity and a touchstone to the amazing story that unfolded in Cleveland some 30-40 years ago.

I highly recommend "Kill the Irishman" as an action-packed, escapist, period piece, featuring superior acting and excellent film editing. It was a thoroughly enjoyable 100+ minutes!

Summary: An exciting ride!!

[CSW] -3- Although the real story of his absolute lack of respect for human life and his excessive brutality was much more accurately depicted in the Danny Greene: The Rise And Fall Of The Irishman extra, the movie itself seemed to underplay some of those aspects of his personality. Non-the-less it was still an interesting and engaging look at certain aspects of criminal life and is at least worth a look.
[V4.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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