AllMovie

Based on author Rick Porrello's book To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia, director Jonathan Hensleigh's richly detailed biopic details the rise and fall of notorious Cleveland union rep Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who earned notoriety in the mid-'70s for his bold willingness to defy the Italian mob. Raised on the mean streets of Cleveland, Greene's tough reputation eventually lands him a contact with the local mob. Before long, the scrappy local has become a mafia enforcer, but after forming an alliance with notorious gangster John Nardi (Vincent D'Onofrio) and burning feared loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken), Greene starts to discover that he has the potential to become as powerful as any of his adversaries. Later, Greene develops a reputation as untouchable after surviving numerous assassination attempts, and dealing a devastating blow to organized-crime syndicates across the U.S.