Irish Gangster

The film is based on real events when connections between organized crime and the traditional Italian mafia with union leaders were exposed. By the way, this cooperation between unions and the mafia dates back to the early 20th century and has strong roots in immigration and community life, where the interests of both groups and the upbringing of gang and union members in the same poor neighborhoods overlapped and it took several decades to break these ties. At the same time, the film shows a traditional motif of American cinema, i.e., the rise of a strong individual from the periphery to the limelight and his subsequent downfall. Danny Green fulfilled the American dream and became an important player in the union organization, which has social influence and money. However, what one deals with, one also loses, and while the conflict with the state power only costs him influence and property, the conflict with organized crime, or the gang war it initiates, ultimately costs him incomparably more. Russia's Tsar Alexander II survived so many assassination attempts that rumors spread throughout Europe that he was immortal. A terrorist organization proved that even an immortal potentate can die, and Danny Green, who began to think after eight failed assassination attempts that only God could decide his fate, possessed a similar self-confidence as Alexander II. It's a solid film, whose strongest aspect is the real basis of its story, but the direction and cast represent only a better average. If I had to choose between it and, for example, Hoffa, which has essentially the same subject, the latter of the two films would prevail, both in terms of the cast and the script. Overall impression: 70%. (16/09/2011)

An aesthetically bland gangster flick with boring characters and a generic script, where you basically don't care about anything, not even the order of who's going to kill who. And just when you're looking forward to at least some action, you find out that despite the digital effects like from the first half of the 90s, there's not even any proper action to be seen. It's a shame, because it’s not too long and it could have been a relatively clean, well-paced affair. But that would have required the cast to be put together a little differently. And the Irish machismo of the protagonist doesn't really work. (23/10/2015)

A successful retro gangster film, which doesn't come up with anything new (which is probably why the title "Based on true events" is used right at the beginning), but it's damn good to watch. That the main character doesn't end up in a good place is clear almost from the beginning, but the film still has plenty to surprise and no time for boredom. And considering that Danny Greene had grown strangely close to my heart during those hundred minutes, the finale was very impressive. Ray Stevenson was great, Val Kilmer unfortunately uncomfortably obese, and Christopher Walken perfect as always. The film also scores points through Patrick Cassidy's Irish soundtrack. Four and a bit. (25/08/2013)

I've grown rather fond of films about organized crime although I can’t explain why. I guess Lord Vetinari is to blame. The conflict between the Italian and Irish underworld obviously relied heavily on various explosives, so the pyrotechnicians got their fix. The film had a decent atmosphere and a stellar cast, but Ray Stevenson got on my nerves. Or at least his crazy wig did. Whenever he appeared on screen, he made me think of Terence Hill, which was highly distracting. (11/03/2018)

Jonathan Hensleigh surprised me once again; after the excellent Punisher, I received another atmospheric gem from the gangster genre. Crafting a good gangster film isn’t easy—it requires proven actors and a solid script to make the result worthwhile. This film succeeded on both fronts. Ray Stevenson is an incredibly likable actor, and you’ll find his portrayal of an Irish gangster captivating, even though he’s not a traditional hero. The film’s grounding in real-life credibility adds to its impact; I wouldn’t have wanted to live in Cleveland during that time, as I’d likely end up in a bad situation. The story is a major strength of the film; while it doesn’t have a particularly fast pace, it contains numerous powerful moments (the final scene, accompanied by Irish music, nearly brought a tear to my eye, despite knowing how villainous Greene was). The supporting roles were luxuriously cast, from Kilmer as the ineffective policeman to Walken as a loan shark, ending with D'Onofrio. The special effects didn’t impress much; the digital car explosions were hard on the eyes, but that’s not the main focus here. For a relatively small budget, it’s great entertainment that might have earned a full score with a quicker pace. As it stands, I give it a strong four stars and 82%. (11/11/2017)

I can't help but feel that this film, while based on a true story, remains incredibly predictable, and we don't follow characters who are exceptionally intriguing. The portrayal is quite realistic, but surprisingly, it doesn't add to the characters; instead, it subtracts from their cinematic ordinariness. (24/04/2017)