Kill the Irishman

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!

Wow..... Wow..... Wow.............

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT! I AM STUNNED!

The Hunter becomes the Hunted in KILL THE IRISHMAN. In the year 1976 in Cleveland 36 bombs went off but could they get Danny Greene?

Based on the life events of Irish American gangster Danny Greene KILL THE IRISHMAN is by far one the most involved movies I have watched of its kind. Danny Greene a gangster from Cleveland in 1970s is a man with pride and honor. Quite unusual traits for a gangster don't you think? Exactly what I did think as well until I completed the whole movie! Danny Greene's story brings to light the hardships that certain people go through to meet their ends in life. Although not most of them are legal methods, sometimes these seem to be the only way out for some of them. Most learned folk at this point would think I am a few screws lose upstairs to agree with an illegal approach to life. I sincerely believe that all humans will tread paths they never would if they too are pushed to extreme limits. This is just me, however I am sure some may feel that to die with hunger is better than steal, try it and let me know! Please note I am not promoting criminals since Danny Greene's revelation is entirely different. Danny Greene earned his bread and butter until the associations abused them and ill-treated them. Danny stood up to them and took over the associations and became a self-found businessman. However when authorities came for him few years later, he did not run, he had the courage to stand up to his faults.

Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D'Onofrio and Val Kilmer bring to life the dark early 1970s of Cleveland. I am impressed of the precision performances. Especially Ray Stevenson, he is amazing and its wise choice by the casting directors to go with an unfamiliar face (although Ray Stevenson has appeared in a fair number of movies) since it's a biography of an actual person. I believe Ray Stevenson fits into the character with ease rather than to have a Hollywood regular play the protagonist. I need not speak about Christopher Walken, you put him in front of a camera and wonders emerge. Val Kilmer's weight does not stop him from slamming a great performance either. Unison is what it is with these men pulling the movie through.

A very appropriate and touching soundtrack evokes a great emotion within me. Much like BRAVE HEART or ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THIEVES she captures and wraps me with a strange enchantment. It's like a spell, I need to admit there were moments in the early parts of the movie where I did consider switching it off. The interest did not seem to be consistent. In my terms the attention span of the viewer is violated with Jonathan Hensleighs directorial approach. It lost me a few times, however it did not LOSE me. I am having difficulty expressing what I felt, let me try to elaborate. It's like water, tasteless, however after a long night when you wake up dehydrated after one too many drinks, and that one glass of water you have at that point of time is the perfect drink. This is the only way I can bring myself to explain the feeling of this movie.

A definite skip for those who look out for action and cleverly choreographed fight sequences. A good one for the mature audience who savor biographies and slow paced dramas.

This is how I see it, nothing more nothing less!

Title: Kill the Irishman Directed by: Jonathan Hensleigh Starring: Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Robert Davi, Vinnie Jones & Christopher Walken Rated: R for strong violence and some sexual content/nudity Rating: 07/10 106 Minutes

Kill the Irishman tells the story of Danny Greene and his rise from rags to riches through the mob and their many attempts at killing him. Being of Irish decent, the aspect of this one Irish guy who kept getting on the Italian mob's nerves, it peaked my interest.

The film has a great story to tell and I can only imagine how amazing the film would have been if they had a director like Martin Scorsese behind the camera. That's what I kept feeling while I watched this film, that it was a Scorsese wannabe. That's not exactly a bad thing, because I did enjoy the film, but I wanted to enjoy it so much more.

There are aspects of the film that are great and if a masterful craftsman were behind the camera than I can honestly see this film being one of the best of the year. The film feels short on a lot of things, mainly the small things that would have made this film great. The relationship between him and his wife was nonexistent. The smaller characters played by Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Vinnie Jones deserved more screen time. There was a relationship between Stevenson and Kilmer that was interesting, as one was a cop and the other a known mobster, but the film decided not to dive any further than two scenes. I hate to throw Goodfellas into the mix, but had the story been crafted more like that film, then this could have been great.

The story is based on true events, with some liberties of course. Some of the special effects, like the car bombings are incredibly poor. A story like this deserves a bit more attention to detail from the writer and director. It felt like they loved the story, but didn't know exactly how to tell it. Again, if they had proper backing in the budget department, then this film would have been really great. The car bombing scenes are really poorly done and this is such an integral part of the film. Some of them are actual explosions, others aren't. It's poor production values, stick with the real thing.

Kill the Irishman is a good movie when it should be a great movie. In terms of gangster flicks, it's one of the better ones. It's nowhere near the calibre of Goodfellas or Donnie Brasco. It feels like the odd film that wants to be apart of the family. It just falls short of admittance. A good film is good film though.

It doesn't take much research into the real story of Danny Greene and the Cleveland mob war to recognize that there was potentially a great Mobster movie waiting to be made. This film misses the mark, which is sad, because the players were there to craft something special.

The downfall of this film is the script and the way it rushes through time and space without ever focusing enough on the characters and their relationship with each other (and in the case of Greene with society) to really get us connected into the world they inhabit. We see scene after scene that remind us of gangster movie staples. Greene beaten by Italian kids as a boy, Greene standing up to the crooked Union leadership, Greene making deals with the mafia, Greene gets a girl and they wind up married, Greene beats up bikers, Greene gets a partner out of hot water and tells him never to gamble again...and duh..he gambles again. Unfortunately, we always stay on the surface of people's motivations as these scenes fly by, we never stop and get a sense of why with the characters. And we never connect with them.

The acting is fine, Ray Stevenson's Greene is tough and smart and world-worn, everyone else is fine but they just stay on the periphery and play stock characters who come and go for the most part.

If the script had made a choice to either be the story through the eyes of Val Kilmer's Cleveland police detective, or the story through the eyes of Irish Danny Greene, instead of just a linear montage of standard gangster film clichés, we all could have been treated to a top-notch tale.

The movie just proves you need a great script to make a great movie, and it didn't have one.

The author of the book in which the movie is based has a unique insight, he's a cop, his family was part of the old "mustache pete" mafia. the book and the movie, demonstrate in realistic detail just how far the Mafia has declined in the post golden era of the 50s and 60's. One Irishman, with the help of an old Mafia associate, showed the world just how incompetent the mob had become in Cleveland and elsewhere. The movie deftly shows that level of incompetence.

Ray Stevenson does a credible job as Irish Danny Green and Vincent D'Onforio is even better as the conflicted John Nardi. Christopher Walken is barely visible as Shonder Burns. Tony Lo Bianco does a great job of a weak, indecisive mob boss who just can't get it right.

The movie is burdened with low production value, but the story is true. And the life they highlight deserves low production value. Anyone who compares this to Goodfellows or the Soprano's is out of touch.