Title: Kill the Irishman
Directed By: Jonathan Hensleigh
Starring: Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Robert Davi, Vinnie Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Steve Schirripa, Paul Sorvino, Jason Butler Harner, Laura Ramsey
You’d think having some source material to work from would make a screenwriter’s job pretty easy. Well, that’s certainly not the case and that’s incredibly present in Jonathan Hensliegh’s latest piece, Kill the Irishman. The film was inspired by the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia by Rick Porrello, which was based on the true story of Danny Greene, a fearless man who went from nothing to toppling the Cleveland mob. The film’s got solid roots, but a painfully weak life-to-book-to-film transition turns this extraordinary story into something that’s not only forgettable, but hard to remember, too.
Ray Stevenson is the infamous Danny Greene. As a kid, Danny wreaks havoc on Cleveland, getting into fights alongside his pal, Joe Manditski (Val Kilmer). But as the boys grow up, they also grow apart, Joe joining the Cleveland PD and Danny, well, continuing to wreak havoc. When Danny becomes fed up with the conditions at the docks where he works as a longshoreman, he opts to take on the union leader, eventually taking over the position himself. At first glance, his intentions are noble, ensuring the workers are happy and the facilities are properly maintained, but really, he’s becoming deeply entrenched in mafia dealings and quite enjoying the monetary benefits. Eventually he’s ousted by a reporter, removed from office, jailed, released and heavily fined.
Apparently the situation has zero effect on him because soon enough, Danny is at it again with yet another mafia scheme involving waste removal. He’s hired by the high-up loan shark, Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken), as an enforcer, but ultimately decides he’s not the type of guy to take orders, rather to be all-powerful and at the top himself. Clearly the local mobsters take issue with Danny’s ego and an all-out meltdown ensues involving assassination attempt after assassination attempt and ultimately, to the collapse of the mafia in Cleveland.
The story of Danny Greene is certainly a fascinating one, but it’s a bit too big for this film. Kill the Irishman starts out the right way, introducing us to the protagonist in his younger years. Camera coverage issues aside, Danny instantly earns your sympathy and he maintains it during his time at the docks. His co-workers like and even admire him and so does the audience. His intentions are clear; he wants to improve the working conditions – or so we think and that’s when things get too messy to fully understand.
106 minutes is just not enough time to tell the story Hensleigh and his co-writer Jeremy Walters want to tell, the final product merely glossing over each and every detail just to fit them all in. While it’s still easy to recognize the magnitude of what Greene is pulling off, it’s impossible to digest and really appreciate the emotional impact his actions are having on him, his friends and his family. In addition to the lack of passion, the story is just too hard to follow logistically. Danny jumps from one side of the line to the next and back again so many times, you’re never quite sure where his loyalties lie.
As for the performances, they’re all adequate, but that’s only in the context of a jumbled plot. Not only do none of them really get the chance to breathe, but there are just so many minor characters, it’s impossible to keep track of them all. In the earlier portions of the film, it’s Jason Butler Harner as Art Sneperger that gets the most attention and the extra screen time certainly pays off. Not only is his situation presented clear enough to sympathize with both sides of his struggle, but he also has one of the most genuine connections with Danny. Vincent D’Onofrio’s John Nardi teeters on the edge of being a successful character, but more so because he steps into the spotlight during the film’s more volatile and engaging portion.
The big misses come from Kilmer, Linda Cardellini and Laura Ramsey, none of which are their fault. First off, Joe is hardly in the film at all. Hensleigh sets him up to be some sort of opposing yet parallel force for Danny, but then ignores him for the majority of the film. Even when Danny and Joe do cross paths, the moments bear zero weight on the rest of the film and are basically pointless. As for the ladies in Danny’s life, they’re mere placeholders and that’s quite a shame. Stevenson makes for a fine Danny and certainly works with what he’s got, but that’s a character with just one layer. It’s the women that had the chance of unmasking him and making him more than a Wikipedia cut-and-paste, rather a living, breathing person. Sadly, that’s not the case and Cardellini’s Joan is abruptly thrown into the arms of Danny with zero chemistry and Ramsey’s Ellie was seemingly only included so Hensleigh could throw in that incredible house collapse survival.
Kill the Irishman suffers from a number of technical issues as well, most noticeably poor scene transitions and intrusive music, but it’s the simple missed opportunity that overshadows them all. This is just an all-around sloppy adaptation constructed solely to squeeze in all the facts with no concern for how they’ll come across on screen in the context of the rest of the screenplay. Perhaps those with invested knowledge of Greene’s history will appreciate seeing it play out on the big screen, but more so disappointed by the filmmakers’ inability to handle the subject matter with care and the lack of inspiration. For the folks with no knowledge of Greene’s history, you’ll be so exhausted after trying to play catch-up for 106 minutes, that by the time the film is over, actually retaining any of that information is impossible.
Technical: C
Acting: B
Story: C-
Overall: C
By Perri Nemiroff
