PUNISHER WAR ZONE didn’t exactly make Ray Stevenson a household name (hell, I got a kick out of the flick), but he’s getting another crack at a meaty leading role with KILL THE IRISHMAN.
The movie comes from writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh… who, ironically, made the Thomas Jane version of THE PUNISHER. At least he’s got experience with a gritty crime tale, let’s hope this time he ditches the hydrant ruse.
The movie also features Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Vinnie Jones, Paul Sorvino, Vincent D’Onofrio, Linda Cardellini, and a lot of character actors and bad hair.
The 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. Surviving countless assassination attempts from the mob and killing off anyone who went after him in retaliation, Danny Greene’s infamous invincibility and notorious fearlessness eventually led to the collapse of mafia syndicates across the U.S. and also earned him the status of the man the mob couldn’t kill.
Check out the trailer below or in HD at Yahoo.