Ray Stevenson died on location in Italy this week while working on the film Cassino in Ischi. In it, he plays Nic Cassino, who appears to be the title character. But throughout his career the actor was renowned for strong supporting roles. Stevenson exemplified this “one for all” spirit as Porthos in The Three Musketeers (2011) and honed it through The Book of Eli (2010), King Arthur (2004), the Thor movies, and the upcoming Star Wars Disney+ series, Ashoka. He was at his most supportive, even as a lead character, when he played legionnaire Titus Pullo in HBO’s Rome. Pullo was a warrior with a heart of gold, but at one point he could also be the second-hand-man to an early version of a mob kingpin.
But Stevenson was second to no one in the role of Danny Greene, the titular character of writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh’s 2011 gangster-genre love letter, Kill the Irishman.
But Stevenson was second to no one in the role of Danny Greene, the titular character of writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh’s 2011 gangster-genre love letter, Kill the Irishman.
- 5/26/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
We have a contest, giveaway, sweepstakes for one copy of Kill the Irishman (2011) on DVD for one (1) lucky winners. This Kill the Irishman DVD contest, giveaway, sweepstakes illustrates Kill the Irishman‘s release by Anchor Bay Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on June 14, 2011.
Kill the Irishman was directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Tony Darrow, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Bob Gunton, Jason Butler Harner, Vinnie Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Laura Ramsey, Steve Schirripa, Paul Sorvino, and Val Kilmer.
Kill the Irishman‘s plot synopsis: “The true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970′s. The film is based on the story of Irish mob boss Danny Greene, and is adapted from the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia (1998) by Rick Porrello.”
For more Kill the Irishman photos,...
Kill the Irishman was directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Tony Darrow, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Bob Gunton, Jason Butler Harner, Vinnie Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Laura Ramsey, Steve Schirripa, Paul Sorvino, and Val Kilmer.
Kill the Irishman‘s plot synopsis: “The true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970′s. The film is based on the story of Irish mob boss Danny Greene, and is adapted from the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia (1998) by Rick Porrello.”
For more Kill the Irishman photos,...
- 7/10/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
"Kill The Irishman", director Jonathan Hensleigh's crime thriller, starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
The film is based on the story of Irish mob boss 'Danny Greene', adapting the 1998 book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled The Mafia" by author Rick Porrello :
"...'Kill The Irishman' details the rise and fall of notorious union rep 'Danny Greene' (Stevenson), who earned notoriety in the mid-'70s for his bold willingness to defy the underworld. Raised on the mean streets of Cleveland, Greene lands a contact with the local mob. Before long, the scrappy local has become an enforcer, but after forming an alliance with notorious gangster 'John Nardi' (D'Onofrio) and burning loan shark 'Shondor Birns' (Walken), Greene starts to discover that he has the potential to become as powerful as any of his adversaries.
The film is based on the story of Irish mob boss 'Danny Greene', adapting the 1998 book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled The Mafia" by author Rick Porrello :
"...'Kill The Irishman' details the rise and fall of notorious union rep 'Danny Greene' (Stevenson), who earned notoriety in the mid-'70s for his bold willingness to defy the underworld. Raised on the mean streets of Cleveland, Greene lands a contact with the local mob. Before long, the scrappy local has become an enforcer, but after forming an alliance with notorious gangster 'John Nardi' (D'Onofrio) and burning loan shark 'Shondor Birns' (Walken), Greene starts to discover that he has the potential to become as powerful as any of his adversaries.
- 6/26/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
With a gang of familiar faces packed into its tough guy ensemble and bits of crime drama cliches strapped to its brutish frame, Jonathan Hensleigh’s Kill the Irishman looks and feels like standard rise-and-fall biopics we have seen before and rarely climbs above its B-movie trappings.
As Cleveland folk hero Danny Greene, Ray Stevenson struts the part of an unwavering leading man with wispy red hair, a strong head on his broad shoulders and, later, a ’70s porn mustache to match. His ascension from fed-up dockworker to corrupt union boss, then deeper into organized crime, is charted through a redundant string of sit-downs, blow-ups, and bare-fisted brawls — “do you want to dance?” — each as routine and blandly executed as Stevenson’s performance.
Here, fictionalized Greene has no qualms about threatening anyone who stands in his path, including blue collar workers, hitmen, Mafia dons, and an extraneous police detective, played...
As Cleveland folk hero Danny Greene, Ray Stevenson struts the part of an unwavering leading man with wispy red hair, a strong head on his broad shoulders and, later, a ’70s porn mustache to match. His ascension from fed-up dockworker to corrupt union boss, then deeper into organized crime, is charted through a redundant string of sit-downs, blow-ups, and bare-fisted brawls — “do you want to dance?” — each as routine and blandly executed as Stevenson’s performance.
Here, fictionalized Greene has no qualms about threatening anyone who stands in his path, including blue collar workers, hitmen, Mafia dons, and an extraneous police detective, played...
- 4/26/2011
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Kill The Irishman is a film based on the true story of Danny Greene, a Cleveland man of humble origins and Irish ancestry. Greene never graduated high school, but had an abundance of both street smarts and intelligence, known for his impressive reputation for reading books. Greene was also a man who had both an intense, fundamental good nature matched only by his intimidating toughness and confidence. These traits would combine to mold the man into a legend on the streets of 1970.s Cleveland.
Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, best known for 2004.s The Punisher starring Thomas Jane, Kill The Irishman has another connection with the popular Marvel Comics vigilante in it.s star Ray Stevenson, who played the anti-hero Frank Castle in 2008.s Punisher: War Zone. not written or directed by Hensleigh. Neither film pale in comparison to this slice of reality, based on recent history but spiced...
Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, best known for 2004.s The Punisher starring Thomas Jane, Kill The Irishman has another connection with the popular Marvel Comics vigilante in it.s star Ray Stevenson, who played the anti-hero Frank Castle in 2008.s Punisher: War Zone. not written or directed by Hensleigh. Neither film pale in comparison to this slice of reality, based on recent history but spiced...
- 4/8/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Rating: 3/5
Writers: Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay), Jeremy Walters(screenplay), Rick Porrello (book, To Kill the Irishman)
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Linda Cardellini
It's going to take a lot more than firecrackers to kill Danny Greene. You see, the firecrackers he's referring to are the car bomb rigs that just exploded in his car - as he was driving it. Luckily for this tall drink of water, the radio started shorting out moments before, alerting Mr. Greene to stop, drop, and roll out of his car before physics placed his body all over the street. Greene isn't a wanted man all over, in fact he has respect from most people in his area.
Read more on Theatrical Review: Kill The Irishman...
Writers: Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay), Jeremy Walters(screenplay), Rick Porrello (book, To Kill the Irishman)
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Linda Cardellini
It's going to take a lot more than firecrackers to kill Danny Greene. You see, the firecrackers he's referring to are the car bomb rigs that just exploded in his car - as he was driving it. Luckily for this tall drink of water, the radio started shorting out moments before, alerting Mr. Greene to stop, drop, and roll out of his car before physics placed his body all over the street. Greene isn't a wanted man all over, in fact he has respect from most people in his area.
Read more on Theatrical Review: Kill The Irishman...
- 4/1/2011
- by Chase Whale
- GordonandtheWhale
Chicago – In our latest crime edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 10 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to “Kill the Irishman” with Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer! The film opened in Chicago on March 18, 2011.
“Kill the Irishman,” which is the true story of Cleveland-based Irish mobster Danny Greene, also stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Paul Sorvino, Tony Darrow, Linda Cardellini, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Bob Gunton, Jason Butler Harner, Vinnie Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Laura Ramsey and Steve Schirripa from writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh.
These “Kill the Irishman” movie passes are valid at participating Chicago theaters at the showing of your choice during the film’s run. To win your free “Kill the Irishman” movie pass, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
“Kill the Irishman,” which is the true story of Cleveland-based Irish mobster Danny Greene, also stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Paul Sorvino, Tony Darrow, Linda Cardellini, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Bob Gunton, Jason Butler Harner, Vinnie Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Laura Ramsey and Steve Schirripa from writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh.
These “Kill the Irishman” movie passes are valid at participating Chicago theaters at the showing of your choice during the film’s run. To win your free “Kill the Irishman” movie pass, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
- 3/20/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Car bombs dominate the cinematic landscape in Kill the Irishman. They do so literally, as there’s practically a new explosion every ten minutes, and psychologically, as the fear of the bomb, the pervasive threat of a sudden and spectacular death, powerfully informs the lives of the gangsters in filmmaker Jonathan Hensleigh’s true portrait of the mob wars that rocked 1970s Cleveland. The thick, persistent tension which comes with the understanding that it could all be over at any second cuts through the familiar mob movie tropes. Despite the presence of standards such as clandestine meetings in dark restaurants and thickly-accented spaghetti-inhaling goombas, Hensleigh’s film — which he co-wrote with Jeremy Walters (based on a book by Rick Porrello, an Ohio police chief) — hews closer in tone to a war picture than Goodfellas. Thus, with notable visceral force, the film conveys organized crime’s sheer futility, the pervasive notion that it’s comprised of grown men...
- 3/10/2011
- by Robert Levin
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
“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...
- 3/10/2011
- IrishCentral
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 [...]...
- 3/9/2011
- by Perri Nemiroff
- ShockYa
Ray Stevenson in Kill the Irishman
Photo: Anchor Bay Films It was originally simply titled The Irishman, but it has since earned the name Kill the Irishman and it's actually getting a limited release this weekend. Kill the Irishman teams the director of the 2004 edition of The Punisher, Jonathan Hensleigh, with the man who played the 2008 version of the comic book character, Ray Stevenson.
In Kill the Irishman Stevenson plays real life mobster Danny Greene, a man who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Christopher Walken co-stars as the infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, Val Kilmer plays a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene and Vincent D'Onofrio plays John Nardi a one-time influential associate of the Cleveland crime family who eventually formed an alliance with Greene and turned against his crime family. Is that enough talent to get you interested?
Hensleigh co-wrote the film with Jeremy Walters...
Photo: Anchor Bay Films It was originally simply titled The Irishman, but it has since earned the name Kill the Irishman and it's actually getting a limited release this weekend. Kill the Irishman teams the director of the 2004 edition of The Punisher, Jonathan Hensleigh, with the man who played the 2008 version of the comic book character, Ray Stevenson.
In Kill the Irishman Stevenson plays real life mobster Danny Greene, a man who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Christopher Walken co-stars as the infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, Val Kilmer plays a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene and Vincent D'Onofrio plays John Nardi a one-time influential associate of the Cleveland crime family who eventually formed an alliance with Greene and turned against his crime family. Is that enough talent to get you interested?
Hensleigh co-wrote the film with Jeremy Walters...
- 3/7/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Here’s a look at the trailer from Anchor Bay Films. Kill The Irishman in theaters this Friday, March 11th. Who doesn’t like a mafia movie set in the 1970′s?
If that trailer isn’t enough to convince you, click Here to watch Stevenson talk about the invincible man, how he got the role and mustaches on G4′s Attack of the Show.
Synopsis:
Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) and the Italian mafia. Based on a true story, Kill the Irishman chronicles Greene’s heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob. Turning the tables on loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken) and allying himself with gangster John Nardi (Vincent D’Onofrio), Greene stops taking orders from the mafia and pursues his own power.
If that trailer isn’t enough to convince you, click Here to watch Stevenson talk about the invincible man, how he got the role and mustaches on G4′s Attack of the Show.
Synopsis:
Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) and the Italian mafia. Based on a true story, Kill the Irishman chronicles Greene’s heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob. Turning the tables on loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken) and allying himself with gangster John Nardi (Vincent D’Onofrio), Greene stops taking orders from the mafia and pursues his own power.
- 3/7/2011
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Based on the true story of gangster and self-proclaimed Celtic warrior Danny Greene, Kill the Irishman is the latest stylized mafia film headed to the big screen. Greene grew up basically an orphan and the plucky lad rose above his beginnings to complete a few years in the Marines and earn an honorable discharge, secure work as a longshoreman (even serving as union president) and get himself involved in the Cleveland mafia. First working as an enforcer, Greene imagined for himself and eventually achieved, a greater, more independent role. He sidestepped rules, breached contracts and inserted himself into rackets and operations run by the big organized crime families. While he managed to create his own mob offshoot, he also made quite a lot of enemies and so many failed assassination attempts were made against Greene that he became known as "the man the mob couldn't kill". He not only survived...
- 12/12/2010
- by Cindy Davis
Jonathan Hensleigh made a career writing films and then directed Thomas Jane in The Punisher (2004). Now he's done a feature with another Punisher actor: Ray Stevenson. Kill the Irishman adapts Rick Porrello's book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. It stars Mr. Stevenson and his wig as the Irishman of the title, who starts out working for the mob and then feels the mob's wrath when he strikes out on his own. Watch the trailer after the break. I can't help but think of similar period gangster movies like Donnie Brasco and American Gangster when I see this trailer. (Not so much Goodfellas, despite the mobbed-up cast.) I like Ray Stevenson quite a lot, and it's nice to see Christopher Walken taking things seriously for a minute. Take away the very out of place song from the middle of this trailer and it might...
- 12/10/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
While promoting the production of ‘The Irishman,’ we’ve found there are many disparate niches of fans for this film. For example, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Ray Stevenson and many of the other actors have dedicated fan groups and dozens of fan sites and busy message boards.
Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene in 'The Irishman'
There are folks who have a personal association with the Cleveland mob wars and others who care mostly that the film is made in Detroit. Then of course, there are mafia movies fans And also the historians and researchers who adeptly chronicle every nuance of the situations, characters and compare/contrast the reality with the movies.
A perfect example of the latter is the New Criminologist who published an deep-dive article into the story by Ron Chepesiuk called The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick.
For those...
Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene in 'The Irishman'
There are folks who have a personal association with the Cleveland mob wars and others who care mostly that the film is made in Detroit. Then of course, there are mafia movies fans And also the historians and researchers who adeptly chronicle every nuance of the situations, characters and compare/contrast the reality with the movies.
A perfect example of the latter is the New Criminologist who published an deep-dive article into the story by Ron Chepesiuk called The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick.
For those...
- 10/14/2009
- by Dave
- MovieSet.com
Cannes -- Vincent D'Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, Paul Sorvino, Fionnula Flanagan, Laura Ramsey, Steve Schirripa, Linda Cardellini and Bob Gunton have been added to the cast of Jonathan Hensleigh's "The Irishman."
They join Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer in the crime tale about real-life mobster Danny Greene.
Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters wrote the screenplay for the project, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello.
Code Entertainment's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso will produce, along with Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller, and Rick Porrello are exec producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer.
Principal photography begins next week in Detroit, Michigan.
Sales and distribution company Lightning Entertainment is repping international sales, while Icm and Dana are handle domestic sales.
They join Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer in the crime tale about real-life mobster Danny Greene.
Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters wrote the screenplay for the project, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello.
Code Entertainment's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso will produce, along with Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller, and Rick Porrello are exec producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer.
Principal photography begins next week in Detroit, Michigan.
Sales and distribution company Lightning Entertainment is repping international sales, while Icm and Dana are handle domestic sales.
- 5/18/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Northern Ireland born actor Ray Stevenson (King Arthur, Rome) is to star in a new film 'The Irishman', based on the Irish American gangster Danny Greene. The film will be directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (The Punisher) with Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter) and Val Kilmer (Heat) also set to star. 'The Irishman' was inspired by Rick Porrello's book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia, which tells the story of mobster Greene (Stevenson), who competed with the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland and provoked a war that crippled the mafia.
- 5/18/2009
- IFTN
The Hollywood Reporter says Vincent D'Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, Paul Sorvino, Fionnula Flanagan, Laura Ramsey, Steve Schirripa, Linda Cardellini and Bob Gunton have been added to the cast of Jonathan Hensleigh's The Irishman . They join Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer in the crime tale about real-life mobster Danny Greene. Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters wrote the screenplay for the project, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello. Principal photography begins next week in Detroit, Michigan.
- 5/18/2009
- Comingsoon.net
It appears I was most likely wrong in thinking Lightening Entertainment's The Irishman would be a direct-to-dvd title as the production house is out pre-selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival and Screen Daily has additional names to add to the cast. Already cast in the film, which will be directed by Jonathan Hensleigh from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jeremy Walters, are Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Ray Stevenson and Screen Daily announces Vincent D'Onofrio, Paul Sorvino and Vinnie Jones have also joined the cast. The film was inspired by Rick Porrello's "To Kill The Irishman: The War That Crippled The Mafia" and tells the story based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Walken is onboard to play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will portray a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene. Steve Schirripa,...
- 5/18/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
If you crossed him, Shondor would kill you. If you didn't, he would charm you.
Sounds like Christopher Walken, doesn't it? Or, at least, his well-honed movie persona as charismatic tough guy. In a bit of pitch-perfect casting, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Walken, Ray Stevenson, and Val Kilmer have signed onto Jonathan Hensleigh's The Irishman -- an adaptation of Rick Porrello's book, To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia.
Walken will play Shondor Birns, a Jewish-American mobster who was once Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland, who hired a young Irish-American dude named Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) back in the '60s. As time went on, Greene wanted a bigger chunk of the biz and wealth, which led to bad blood and ultimately, a rather nasty car bomb that killed Birns. Greene, meanwhile, was a little bit of everything -- FBI informant, instigator of a country-wide turf war,...
Sounds like Christopher Walken, doesn't it? Or, at least, his well-honed movie persona as charismatic tough guy. In a bit of pitch-perfect casting, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Walken, Ray Stevenson, and Val Kilmer have signed onto Jonathan Hensleigh's The Irishman -- an adaptation of Rick Porrello's book, To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia.
Walken will play Shondor Birns, a Jewish-American mobster who was once Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland, who hired a young Irish-American dude named Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) back in the '60s. As time went on, Greene wanted a bigger chunk of the biz and wealth, which led to bad blood and ultimately, a rather nasty car bomb that killed Birns. Greene, meanwhile, was a little bit of everything -- FBI informant, instigator of a country-wide turf war,...
- 5/7/2009
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Ray Stevenson finished work in Rome and suddenly found himself a star, heading up The Punisher: War Zone and landing roles in The Book of Eli and Cirque du Freak. Now he's added a lead role in The Irishman to that roster, where he'll star alongside Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer.Despite the title, the film doesn't actually take place in the land of 40 shades of green, but in Cleveland, Ohio where mobster Danny Greene ruled the underworld in the 1970s. Stevenson will play Greene, Walken an infamous loan shark and nightclub owner called Shondor Birns and Kilmer a city cop who befriends Greene (who, funnily enough, was obsessed with the colour green). Cue attempted car bombs, successful car bombs and conflict with the Mafia.The whole thing is based on Rick Porrello's book To Kill The Irishman: The War That Cripped The Mafia, with director Jonathan Hensleigh (who,...
- 5/7/2009
- EmpireOnline
It's strange to think a film that will star Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Ray Stevenson is one that will likely to go to DVD before it ever sees theaters, but that is exactly the impression I get from The Irishman, which was just announced by Variety. The mob drama is based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Walken is onboard to play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will portray a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene. The film will be directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, who also wrote the script, which was inspired by Rick Porrello's book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia." Hensleigh also wrote and directed the Thomas Jane Punisher in 2004. As interesting as this one sounds, for some reason I have this sneaking suspicion we will be looking...
- 5/7/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Even though Punisher: War Zone wasn't a hit, it's definitely getting Ray Stevenson plenty of jobs. He's joining the cast of the mob drama The Irishman alongside of Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer (who were last seen together in True Romance). Filmmaker Jonathan Hensleigh, who previously directed 2004's The Punisher, will be directing this. Hensleigh also wrote the script, which is based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), who ran Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Walken will play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will play a Cleveland cop. The story was inspired by Rick Porrello's true life book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" (check it out on Amazon). Code Entertainment is developing the indie production, and Lightning Entertainment will be selling the distribution rights. Shooting starts mid-May in Detroit, so this is moving into production right away.
- 5/7/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Ray Stevenson, best known for his role on HBO’s Rome and who starred as comic character Frank Castle in last year’s Punisher: War Zone, have signed on to star in the mob drama The Irishman. The project is based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Walken is onboard to play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will portray a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene. Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh, who made his directorial debut on the 2004 Punisher flick, is directing from a script he also wrote. The story was inspired by Rick Porrello's book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia." Code Entertainment’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing alongside Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and actress Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code.
- 5/7/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer will play the leads in "The Irishman," a crime story that Jonathan Hensleigh will direct.
Code Entertainment is producing the action movie, which is based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson). Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters ("Dali") wrote the script, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello.
Greene was a violent Irish-American gangster who competed with the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland and ended up provoking a countrywide turf war that crippled the mafia. Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.
Code's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing, along with Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller and Porrello are exec producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer.
Code Entertainment is producing the action movie, which is based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson). Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters ("Dali") wrote the script, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello.
Greene was a violent Irish-American gangster who competed with the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland and ended up provoking a countrywide turf war that crippled the mafia. Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.
Code's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing, along with Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller and Porrello are exec producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer.
- 5/6/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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