Anchor Bay Films, Code Entertainment, Dundee Entertainment
Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Tony Darrow, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, Paul Sorvino, Mike Starr
The 1970’s was a wild time in Cleveland, Ohio. Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), an Irish mobster was fearless in taking on the Italian Mafia. This movie is his story from his rise in the criminal underworld to his eventual fall. Danny was fearless, and after numerous failed assassination attempts, Danny turned the mafia into a laughing stock, even granting TV interviews where he’d make fun of their attempts to kill him. He was fiercely proud of his Celtic heritage and opened a club with a huge Irish flag outside and used to sit out in the open under the flag daring someone to come after him. He started out in the Longshoremen’s Unions, then took over and formed the Garbage Collectors union. He was a known FBI informant, and played both sides. Many looked at him as the Robin Hood of Collinwood.
Co-starring Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, this movie has some great performances. Paul Sorvino has a small role but adds a lot to the story. I was very impressed by the way they told this story. It was very well done. The story is exciting, and Stevenson’s portrayal of him is excellent. He’s fearless and menacing, but shows the soft loving and caring side as well. Danny was someone who donated money to help children, donated food to the food banks, and often paid off debts for friends and near strangers when someone was in need. As a very well done crime story, this is a good as any of the great mafia pictures. Click here for the Wikipedia biography of Danny Greene.
I enjoyed this film a lot, and recommend it to anyone fans of crime stories or biographies. It is based on a book by the same title. It’s a very well done little film.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
