We've all seen "Kill the Irishman" before: a neighborhood tough guy
claws his way to the top only to find he's his own worse enemy. All the
ingredients are there. Sergio Leone's epic masterpiece "Once Upon a
Time in America" brilliantly covers the same story. Even Brian DePalma
did a better job with ethnic stereotypes in "Scarface" than
writer/director Jonathan Hensleigh does in this tired old warhorse.
Then there's the acting. Other than "Waking the Dead," I'm not familiar
with Ray Stevenson's work. Judging by his role in "Kill the Irishman,"
he's very good at playing ruthless, delusional killers who occasionally
recalls his sensitive side. At times he electrifies the screen with his
viciousness. Whether or not that qualifies as "acting" is debatable.
Walken deadpans and mumbles his lines like he's sleepwalking. Vincent
D'Onofrio reprises his role as Robert Goren in the final episodes of
"Criminal Intent." Nothing dynamic there. Linda Cardellini and Laura
Ramsey do the best they can with characters who are basically one-
dimensional window dressing. Fionnula Flanagan is totally dispensable
as the Irish, hard-drinking, working-class broad with a heart of gold
and a brogue to beat McNamara's band- Mother McCree! And let's not
forget the food-loving, Italian mobsters who order a hit as casually as
a plate of osso bucco.
I think a better name for this mess would have been "Kill 106 Minutes."
Watch Cagney in 1931's "Public Enemy" instead.
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