The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick:

Special to New Criminologist, 10.11.09
by Ron Chepesiuk

What is it that attracts us to Mafia movies like steel clips to a magnet? Most of us have seen The Godfather, a movie considered by many to be the greatest ever made. But it’s just one of a long line of great Mob flicks that extend back to Hollywood’s early years where we had such classics as Public Enemy Number 1 and Little Caesar. Just in past two decades or so Hollywood has released such great flicks as Casino, Donnie Brasco, GoodFellas, Jackie Brown, A History of Violence and The Departed, among others.

With so many superb mafia flicks around, we might ask: Has Hollywood seen its best days when it comes to this genre of movie? The quick answer is, no way.

Consider that that this coming spring (2010) an explosive and highly original mob flick is scheduled for release. Titled simply The Irishman, the movie depicts the story of Danny Greene, an Irish-American mobster who takes on the La Cosa Nostra in a vicious and violent gang war that had the bodies piling up on the streets of Cleveland in the 1970s.

excerpted -
The Irishman movie brings together an award-winning all-star cast and an award-winning all-star production crew. Noted actors Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Paul Sorvino, and Vincent D’Onofrio**(Law and Order’s Criminal Intent) will play lead and supporting roles. Director Jonathan Hensleigh was the screenwriter for Die Hard with a Vengeance and Jumanji and wrote and co-directed The Punisher, while Jonathan Walters is the co-writer. The movie’s editor, Douglas Crise, was Oscar nominated for his work on Babel.

Writing the screenplay must have been a challenge given Greene’s complex character and the richness of his story. Porrello described Greene as “a Celtic warrior at heart, obsessed with the color green—green car, green jackets and green ink pens.”

The quirky Irishman was handsome, obsessed with physical fitness and followed a strict diet of fish, vegetables and vitamin supplements. To minimize his hair loss, Greene underwent painful hair transplants.
Full Article

The movie is scheduled to debut St. Paddy’s Day, 2010. “With an Irish character like Danny Greene, that’s a fitting way to launch the movie,” Reid said. It sure is, but given the uncertainties of the film industry, it may take the luck of the Irish for that to happen.

**Vincent D'Onofrio as 'John Nardi' in The Irishman.