Kill the Irishman is a biographical crime film that is based on the life of the Irish-American gangster Danny Greene. It was adapted from Rick Porrello’s book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Kill the Irishman tells the true story of Danny Greene, a scrappy union representative who rose through the ranks of the Cleveland underworld and became a force to be reckoned with, ultimately engaging in a turf war with the Italian Mafia.
“Greene’s rise to power and his eventual assassination, which is depicted in the film, are the central themes. The film explores Greene’s ambition, his clashes with the Mafia, and the impact of his actions on organised crime in Cleveland and beyond.”
Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, the film stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken Linda Cardellini , Tony Darrow and Robert Davi, among others.
It has been praised by gangster movie fanatics, with one stating in an IMDb review: “Great cast, great acting, and an absolute must-see for mafia-philes.
“Unlike many bio-dramas, this one moves along at a rocket pace, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.”
Another branded the film as “very underrated”.
The film received mixed reviews upon its release and was called out for its likeness to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990).
It gets a divisive score of 63% from Rotten Tomatoes critics, who state: “Kill the Irishman may not add much in the way of new ingredients to its crowded genre, but the admirable efforts of a solidly assembled cast add extra depth to a familiar story.”
Audience reviewers were quick to jump to its defence as one described it as “the best true crime drama out there” and another stating they “absolutely love this [film]”.
One said: “This is a really entertaining movie and very true to the actual facts. I would recommend watching the documentary on Danny Green first and then watching this movie.”
“Top notch to the acting and production. Highly enjoyable 1970’s gangster movie,” another added.
Kill the Irishman is available to stream right now on Amazon Prime.