MOVIE REVIEW - Kill The Irishman

It's in limited release, but the new Kill The Irishman is doing a big business at local theaters this week.

Kill The Irishman is based on the real life, adult life of Cleveland mob boss Danny Greene. Greene you may know was killed by a car bomb in the Cleveland suburb of Lyndhurst in May 1977. His assassination by members of a rival organized crime ring, set off a chain reaction across the nation. Multiple arrests and various Mafia families were broken for good in numerous major U.S. cites coast to coast. And the mob was done for good in Cleveland.

KTI is shows the rise of Greene from dockworker to the head of the Longshoreman's Union, to his beginnings in organized crime. Green eventually set his sights on having his own crime ring rivaling the established Mafia, which lead to his killing. KTI takes us up to the Gangland Wars in Cleveland in 1976 when mob bombings were part of the nightly local news, to his eventual killing in 1977.

KTI is an interesting movie, well done, and told in a very direct matter of fact way. It doesn't get bogged down and complicated which is to its credit. They weave in actual news footage too from local TV stations from the era, which is a very nice touch. Although the story takes place exclusively in Cleveland, sadly this movie was shot in Detroit. That's a bit disappointing. The only real critisim is, there's just something missing here. I think it's maybe I wish the story was put in the hands of a more skillful movie makers hands.

Greene is portrayed as a big, colorful Irishman who was extremely well read, and smart. Which he was. There are moments that this movie goes dangerously close to glorifying him, and at times he may be. But the one thing that is done well, as affable, and smart as he may have been, he is shown to be a calculating bad guy, who did a lot of killing, even killing many of his friends. That fact is not lost and well done.

KTI is entertaining, and informative, and if you are too young to remember, or never heard of Danny Greene, it certainly is worth a watch. Good cast, with Ray Stephenson as Greene. Also with Val Kilmer and a strong and believable supporting cast.

Kill The Irishman. A good story worth telling, and for the most part well done.