Kill the Irishman [HD]

A very good gangster film
A tough Irishman challenges the authority of the Italian mobsters in Cleveland, thus making himself a target. A contract is put out on him, but he is difficult to take down. This is an effective gangster film that is quite violent, but the violence is not visually graphic. The action is intercut with actual news footage of the local media covering the events as they took place, which adds to the film's realism. The lead character is a domineering figure, but he is not a bully, and he is thus likeable. Some familiar faces from gangster films past appear in this one, bringing back memories of films like Goodfellas. Though not quite at that level, Kill the Irishman is very solid entertainment that should not be missed.

A Riveting True Life Tale Makes For One Of the Year's Most Unexpectedly Good Action Pictures
The biographical dramatization "Kill The Irishman" is one of those under the radar films that, I believe, people will discover and embrace through the DVD market. Certainly not a perfect film--the movie does boast, however, a raw grittiness, larger than life performances, and an intriguing and spectacular true story begging for a big screen treatment. And yet, the theatrical release was all but non-existent. The film chronicles a mob war that escalated in Cleveland during the mid-seventies. At the heart of the action is Danny Greene, played with vigor by Ray Stevenson, an Irish-American thug who becomes entrenched in the shenanigans of the Italian mafia. With bluster and bravado, Greene stood his ground as an individual and even came to be championed by ordinary citizens for his more philanthropic endeavors. By taking on the mob, very visibly and very vocally, Greene achieved a notoriety that is hard to ignore and sparked a murderous summer in 1976 that resulted in 36 Cleveland...

A Good Movie That Could Have Been a Classic
It's very seldom that I say that a particular movie would have benefited from a longer running time, but in the case of KILL THE IRISHMAN, I think that an additional thirty minutes would have turned what is now an entertaining gangster movie into a classic of the genre.

Written (with Jeremy Walters) and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, KILL THE IRISHMAN is based on the true story of Danny Greene, an Irish-American thug, revered by his neighbors as a local "Robin Hood," who in the 1970s, declared war on the Cleveland branch of the Italian Mafia. Greene survived many assassination attempts and his bold efforts, ultimately, led to the collapse of the Mob syndicate throughout the United States.

Ray Stevenson is quite effective as the "take no prisoners" Danny Greene, and he is supported by an excellent cast that includes Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Paul Sorvino, Robert Davi and several other actors who are familiar faces in Mob movies...

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