Kill the Irishman

Kill the Irishman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJonathan Hensleigh
Screenplay by
  • Jonathan Hensleigh
  • Jeremy Walters
Based onTo Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia
by Rick Porrello
Produced by
  • Al Corley
  • Bart Rosenblatt
  • Eugene Musso
  • Tommy Reid
Starring
CinematographyKarl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited byDouglas Crise
Music byPatrick Cassidy
Production
companies
  • Code Entertainment[1]
  • Dundee Entertainment
  • Sweet William Productions
Distributed byAnchor Bay Films
Release date
  • March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)[1]
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million[1]
Box office$1.2 million[2]

Kill the Irishman is a 2011 American biographical crime film directed by Jonathan Hensleigh,[3] and starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Christopher Walken, and Val Kilmer. Written by Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters, it is based on the life of the Irish-American gangster Danny Greene, and was adapted from the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia[4] by Rick Porrello.[5][6]

Before entering production, Kill the Irishman had a troubled development stage that lasted over a decade.[1] Production commenced in 2009,[1] and filming took place in and around Detroit.[1]

The film chronicles the rise and fall of Danny Greene. He worked as a longshoreman on the Cleveland docks, until being chosen to serve as interim president of the International Longshoremen's Association in 1961. In 1964, he was convicted of embezzling $11,500 of the union's funds.[1][7] After his conviction, Greene rose through the criminal underworld in Cleveland and waged war on the Mafia for control of the city.[1] After many failed attempts on Greene's life, he was assassinated on October 6, 1977, by contract killer Ray Ferritto.[8] Greene's death ultimately led to the demise of the Cleveland Mafia.[8]

Kill the Irishman was released in the United States on March 11, 2011 and premiered at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City. Most of the cast, including Stevenson and D'Onofrio, were in attendance[9][10] as was Shondor Birns' niece.[11] The film received mixed reviews upon its release,[12] with some reviewers criticizing the purported similarities to Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.[13][14][15] Kill the Irishman grossed $1,188,194 at the domestic box office,[16] against a production budget of $12 million.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i McDermott, Mark (March 17, 2011). "Kill the Irishman – Local filmmaker brings the legend of Danny Greene back to life". Easy Reader. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  2. ^ "Kill the Irishman". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Jonathan Hensleigh". Slickdevilmoviehouse.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Porrello, Rick (February 15, 2011). To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1-4391-7174-5.
  5. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (May 6, 2009). "Stevenson, Walken join 'Irishman'". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
  6. ^ Kilday, Gregg (May 18, 2009). "Slew of actors join 'The Irishman'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
  7. ^ "RE: CHICAGO LABORERS-PAGES 31-39 (ORGANIZED CRIME AND THE LABOR UNIONS)". Laborers. 1978. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Cleveland Dismantling Organized Crime". The Dispatch (Lexington). July 26, 1982 (paper format). Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  9. ^ "Kill The Irishman: New York Premiere - Arrivals". Pinterest. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  10. ^ Stevenson, Ray (March 8, 2011). "Kill the Irishman NY premiere". ray-stevenson.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference IrishCentral was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Kill the Irishman". Rotten Tomatoes. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  13. ^ Bumbray, Chris (2011). "REVIEW: KILL THE IRISHMAN". joblo.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  14. ^ Tobias, Scott. "Kill the Irishman" review, www.avclub.com, May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  15. ^ Abele, Robert (November 3, 2011). "Movie Review: 'Kill the Irishman', Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  16. ^ "Kill the Irishman". The Numbers. Retrieved January 24, 2015.