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Trust Weighted
Great
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83Trust Points
Wick's Review
Summary - Great 4.0
Who knew there was another only-in-America mobster story ideally suited for a biographical crime movie? Kill the Irishman is that movie and Danny Greene is the mobster it brings to life, a self-made man who rose to run a large swath of the Cleveland rackets in the Seventies. It’s a rich story, dripping with character.
The Irishman’s rise triggered a mob war, complete with three dozen bombings in a spectacular criminal conflagration. While his biopic lacks the resonance of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas or Scott Cooper’s Black Mass (where Johnny Depp played a more famous Irish-American mobster), it still reaches greatness.
A great cast, led by Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene, and featuring Linda Cardellini, Vincent D’Onofrio & Christopher Walken is well up to the task of playing Cleveland’s most outrageous citizens from the era.
Danny Greene was a very smart man who was ahead of his time in many ways, and less a psychopath than a fearless underworld figure. Hence, his biopic is highly recommended for fans of crime movies, especially true crime movies, and to those with an interest in American urban life during the now faraway 60s & 70s.
Acting - Great 4.0
Ray Stevenson is ideal as a smart thug. Plus, he’s a native Irishman, albeit his dialect in the movie is pure Cleveland. So he’s ideal as smart and proud Irish-American thug Danny Greene, the criminal entrepreneur who improbably ran much of the Cleveland underworld.
- Vincent D’Onofrio is also ideally cast as real-life Cleveland mobster John Nardi.
- Val Kilmer is less incisive than he was as a leading man, never mind that he’s no longer lean.
- Christopher Walken is ideally cast as real-life Cleveland mobster Shondor Birns.
- Linda Cardellini starts off as a young and appealing bartender, and then grows into a smart and savvy wife of Danny Greene.
- Paul Sorvino is straight from central casting as the infamous Fat Tony Salerno.
- Steve Schirripa is seemingly straight outtta The Sopranos as a mobbed-up garbage truck driver.
- Bob Gunton is well cast as a corrupt union boss.
- Robert Davi rounds out the great cast as real-life hitman Ray Ferritto.
Male Stars - Really Great 4.5
Female Stars - Great 4.0
Female Costars - Great 4.0
Male Costars - Great 4.0
Film - Very Good 3.5
Kill the Irishman apparently had a difficult development, with a herky-jerky production history. It shows, as the film never really gathers momentum, despite a coherent story and several spectacular bombings.