Tagarchief: Irish Mob

28. The Departed (2006)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: William Monahan (screenplay), Alan Mak (screenplay Infernal Affairs), Felix Chong (screenplay Infernal Affairs)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson

This review is part of the feature:

The 33 Gangster Films You Can’t Refuse

The Departed is a complex and intense crime thriller about the opposing forces of cops and crooks who turn out to be not so different. The cops are possibly even more macho, use as much profanity, and break almost as many rules as the gangsters.

For a Scorsese movie, it is very plot driven; the screenplay is borrowed from Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002), which is also excellent.

DiCaprio stars as Billy Costigan, a trainee at the Massachusetts State Police Academy who, due to his family’s criminal background, is recruited as the perfect candidate to infiltrate the organization of Boston hood Frank Costello (Nicholson). In return, Costello has groomed a boy called Colin Sullivan (Damon) to become his mole inside the Boston police’s Special Investigations Unit.

This set-up ensures a hyperintense thrillride that will surely end in bloodshed. The cast is truly spectacular with Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin (amongst others) in memorable supporting roles. The real show stealers though are Nicholson as Costello (based on reallife Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger) and Ray Winstone as his henchman Mr. French. If ever there were a couple of depraved, sociopathic and scary mob figures in a movie, it is these two.

Although it won Scorsese his first Oscar, I don’t think The Departed is as great as GoodFellas or Casino. But the movie’s realistic portrayal of the Boston underworld and its superb camerawork, editing and soundtrack, demands its inclusion in this ultimate gangster film overview.

32. Road to Perdition (2002)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Max Allan Collins, Richard Piers Rayner, David Self
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig

This review is part of the feature:

The 33 Gangster Films You Can’t Refuse

In this adaptation from the beautiful graphic novel from Max Allan Collins (writing) and Richard Piers Rayner (art), Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, an enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman).

Rooney treats Michael like a son, but this dynamic is fractured by the reckless actions of Rooney’s actual son, Connor (Daniel Craig), whose betrayal leads to the brutal murder of Michael’s wife and youngest child. Gutted, Michael embarks on a chilling journey of vengeance across the snow-draped Midwest, with his surviving son, Michael Jr., by his side.

Director Sam Mendes brings together a stellar cast in this gripping, yet understated gangster epic. The performances are a masterclass in subtlety and intensity, with Hanks, Newman, and Craig delivering powerhouse portrayals that highlight the complex interplay of loyalty, betrayal, and familial bonds.

The cinematography by Conrad L. Hall is equally compelling, painting 1931 Chicago and the small-town landscapes of Illinois with a haunting, almost poetic beauty. Each shot is meticulously crafted, making the film as visually breathtaking as it is emotionally poignant.

The story is borrowed from the classic Japanese manga Lone Wolf and Cub, which is about an extremely skillful samurai who takes his son on a journey of revenge after being betrayed.

Thematically, Road to Perdition delves into the intricate relationships between fathers and sons, exploring how their love and loyalty can be both a source of strength and a cause of strife. The evolving dynamic between Michael and his son is moving, offering moments of connection and understanding amidst the violence and tragedy.

With its evocative storytelling, exceptional acting, and unforgettable imagery, Road to Perdition remains a standout in the gangster genre, as well as a deeply affecting meditation on family and redemption.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘It’s a grubby, violent, dangerous world. But it’s the only world they know. And they’re the only friends Eddie has.’

Directed by:
Peter Yates

Written by:
George V. Higgins (novel), Paul Monash (screenplay)

Cast:
Robert Mitchum (Eddie Coyle), Peter Boyle (Dillon), Richard Jordan (Dave Foley), Steven Keats (Jackie Brown), Alex Rocco (Scalise), Joe Santos (Artie Van), Mitchell Ryan (Waters), Peter MacLean (Partridge, Manager of First Bank), Kevin O’Morrison (Manager, Second Bank), Marvin Lichterman (Vernon, Clerk, Second Bank)

In 1972, The Godfather was released – the most legendary gangster film of all time. A year later, director Peter Yates (Bullitt) delivered a different breed of crime film. While Don Corleone is a mob leader of almost insurmountable power and influence, the criminals in The Friends of Eddie Coyle barely qualify to cater Connie Corleone’s wedding.

The story revolves around small-time crooks in Boston’s underworld. These gangsters are based on the real Winter Hill Gang, later famously led by James ‘Whitey’ Bulger and later portrayed in films like Black Mass and The Departed.

Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) supplies guns to a group of bank robbers connected to the Irish mob in Boston. He is also a stool pigeon for policeman Dave Foley (Richard Jordan). He thinks he’s friends with bar owner Dillon (Peter Boyle), who is also snitching to Foley without his knowledge. Dillon isn’t really his friend. Eddie has no friends: the title is ironic. Coyle gets tangled in a complex web of double-crosses and botched crimes, eventually becoming a target for the local mob boss.

The film’s strength lies in its authentic dialogue and characters. This is truly the bottom of the barrel in terms of criminal hierarchy. Eddie Coyle – perfectly portrayed by Robert Mitchum – is the ultimate low-life crook. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the acting and writing are top-notch. And the ending must be the most unglamorous ending ever for a gangster film.

Rating:

Quote
FOLEY: “You remember Eddie Fingers? Eddie Coyle?” (“The bank robber, the one from Natick?”) “Nah, that’s his sidekick, Artie Van. Eddie doesn’t rob banks.”

Trivia
The film is based on the debut novel by George V. Higgins which is often praised for its authenticity. Legendary crime writer Elmore Leonard famously called it: “The best crime novel ever written.”

Bulletproof Gangster (2011)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘Based on the true story of Danny Greene the man the mob couldn’t kill’

Directed by:
Jonathan Hensleigh

Written by:
Jonathan Hensleigh
Jeremy Walters
Rick Porrello (book ‘To Kill the Irishman’)

Cast:
Ray Stevenson (Danny Greene), Vincent D’Onofrio (John Nardi), Val Kilmer (Joe Manditski), Christopher Walken (Shondor Birns), Linda Cardellini (Joan Madigan), Tony Darrow (Mikey Mendarolo), Robert Davi (Ray Ferritto), Fionnula Flanagan (Grace O’Keefe), Vinnie Jones (Keith Ritson), Steve Schirripa (Mike Frato)

Bulletproof Gangster (also known as Kill the Irishman, after the book it’s based on) is a biopic about former union man turned Irish mob boss Danny Greene, set during the Cleveland Mafia war of the 1970s, in which his enemies failed time and again to kill him. Hence the title although Kill the Irishman might be more fitting, since they mostly tried to kill him with bombs rather than bullets.

It’s a classic rags-to-riches story. Greene starts as a dockworker, albeit a well-read one. He didn’t finish school but was famously self-educated. With the backing of mobster John Nardi, he rises to become a popular union president.

Meanwhile, his old neighborhood friend Joe (Val Kilmer) joins the Cleveland PD, following his former friend’s career and narrating the story. After Greene’s arrest, he’s barred from union work for life, so he enters the garbage business with mobster Jack Licavoli’s blessing.

But when mob boss John Scalish – who ran the Cleveland mob since the 1940s – dies, a brutal gang war erupts between Greene and Nardi on one side and Licavoli on the other. That summer, bomb after bomb rocks Cleveland, killing many gangsters. How long can the seemingly blessed Irishman survive?

This gangland tale covers one of the few untold chapters of American Mafia history. Director Jonathan Hensleigh, screenwriter of Die Hard With a Vengeance, clearly has a penchant for explosives, and it shows in this appropriately explosive film. The cast features many familiar faces from gangster movies, including Paul Sorvino as Tony Salerno.

Of the cast members, especially Vincent D’Onofrio and Christopher Walken stand out as the historical mob figures John Nardi and Jewish gang boss Shondor Birns.

Bulletproof Gangster might not be a biopic as captivating as GoodFellas, Casino or Donnie Brasco, but offers what you might expect: an entertaining mob film with one retaliation after the other.

Rating:

Quote:
DANNY GREENE: “I’m an Irish catholic with the grace of God on my shoulder. I’m not going anywhere until he says so.”

Trivia:
The plot to kill the Irishman (Danny Greene) involved an unprecedented breach of FBI security when a clerk was bribed by the mob and actually stole a list of confidential informants from a top secret room. Cleveland agents acted quickly, plugging the leak and arresting their clerk.