RSS
Entertainment


Home Page > Entertainment > New movie ‘Kill the Irishman’ takes a look at Cleveland’s mob history - SEE VIDEO

New movie ‘Kill the Irishman’ takes a look at Cleveland’s mob history - SEE VIDEO

The true tale of Irish Cleveland mobster Danny Greene

By
MOLLY MULDOON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Thursday, March 10, 2011, 9:00 AM
Updated Thursday, March 10, 2011, 9:00 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article Make a comment
 

'Kill the Irishman'
'Kill the Irishman'


“Kill the Irishman” is the latest mob movie to revisit Cleveland’s sordid criminal past. For many, Ohio may not seem like the most likely location for a deep rooted Mafia flick, but for others Irishman Danny Greene’s life story provides a gripping backdrop for the movie, which opens in theaters on Friday, March 11.

Embracing his Irish heritage, Greene reportedly dressed in green, drove green cars and signed his name in green ink. He survived several assassination attempts until his life was snuffed out in a car bomb in October 1977.

The film tells the true story of Greene, played by Irish American actor Ray Stevenson, who spent a considerable part of his childhood in an orphanage. Greene then starting working in the docks from a young age. He later went on to become a union boss, and then went head to head with the Mafia in Cleveland in a bid to gain control of the city’s underground world of gambling and racketeering.

The film tells the story of his dodgy dealings in embezzlement, racketeering and gambling. The fearless mobster was in the headlines for well over a decade.

As well as Stevenson, the cast line up includes Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio.

"Cleveland would not be on your typical organized crime radar," Rick Porrello, author of the book on which the film is based, told the “Los Angeles Times.”
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-kill-irishman-20110309,0,2135188.story

Much of the film was shot in Detroit because of Michigan’s tax breaks. But the atypical setting of Cleveland was a huge draw for Jonathan Hensleigh, director and co-writer of “Kill the Irishman.”

Greene himself was an interesting character. During his lifetime he survived a bombing that destroyed his home. In true bravado style he placed two mobile homes on the site, one to work in and one to live in.


​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Comment

Be the first to make a comment.



Our Entertainment in your INBOX!


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail