In a flashforward to 1975, Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) survives a car bomb attempt in Cleveland. In 1960, he and friends Billy McComber and Art Sneperger are longshoremen. He takes on corrupt union boss Jerry Merke who doesn't care about the working members. Sneperger is in gambling debt to Cleveland Mafia John Nardi (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Danny offers to help him steal from the docks. Danny takes over the union and marries Joan (Linda Cardellini). Police Detective Joe Manditski (Val Kilmer) takes him down and he's banned from unions. He gets work from loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken). After a dispute over money, he gets into a car bombing war with New York mobsters. He gains notoriety as the "Robin Hood of Collinwood" surviving multiple murder attempts.

This is very much a Goodfellas wannabe including a "Based on a True Story" moniker. There isn't anything wrong with aspiring to be one of the best films of all times. It's got plenty of solid actors in the many supporting roles. D'Onofrio is a standout although it may be trying to fit in too many characters. As for Ray Stevenson, he has a really powerful presence. He's a hulking man. The movie has minor flaws here and there that keeps it from being a truly great mobster movie. Some of the side characters need to step up. The wife and mistress are bland. The movie doesn't always flow well but it's a good watch.

Kill the Irishman tells the story of mobster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) and his rise to power in 1970s Cleveland. Green rose to be a local Union boss became a police informer when the heat got too much and then got into conflict with the mafia.

The film is told from the viewpoint of cop, Val Kilmer who is too fat to be a cop is in conflict with Greene and actually wasted in the role.

This is really low rent version of Goodfellas with less charismatic characters, B list cast, dodgy wigs and bad cgi. The plot goes at a breakneck speed, Greene has no education, works as a docker and a few punches later deposed the crooked union boss, got married to the local bar girl who subsequently leaves him and takes their children and you never hear from her again.

Greene teams up with a local mafia hoodlum and together they take on the mafia chiefs which resulted in numerous car bombings in Cleveland which terrorised the citizens.

The film is interesting enough because it is pacey, Stevenson tries to infuse his character with charisma and make him out to be a anti hero but is ultimately defeated by the script.

Danny Greene is a poor Irish orphan who grows up to become a gritty union leader at odds with and in cahoots with the local Mafia. Ray Stevenson does an excellent job portraying Danny Greene while Val Kilmer was less than spectacular as the detective investigating him. Perhaps the writers didn't know what personality to give Kilmer, so they left it out. In spite of Danny Greene's criminal exploits, we have empathy for him. Danny is both tough and smart is spite of not completing high school. His blue collar rise to the top gives us the bad guy "walking tall" feel.

Once Danny is caught, things change. He makes a deal to stay out of prison by becoming a snitch to the surprise of Val Kilmer, but he is not a very good snitch. In one scene, Danny decides to clean up his own neighborhood by going up against a local biker gang. His wife (Linda Cardellini) watches Danny beat up a biker in the street and she appears to be surprised at his actions after being married to the guy for several years, knowing he is a mobster. She is not supportive.

Danny is forced to do things he doesn't want to do, or at least that is how the film portrays Danny, as the kindly neighborhood bill collector, who only busts kneecaps when he has to. Good historical film without being a documentary.

Very brief sex, nudity, and f-bombs. Some course ethnic humor.