Crime stories are often great draws for movie fans. Most people who work 9-to-5 jobs are in such a regular routine that they may be fascinated by crime stories. Movies give the criminal characters depth and the “bad guy” may actually be the “good guy” and the “good guy” may be the “bad guy.” Hollywood often uses Irish criminal types in their scripts as they often are seen as violent and emotional. Here are five Irish crime movies any Bostonian would love.
“Road To Perdition” (2002)
Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a mob hit man who works for John Rooney (Paul Newman). Sullivan performs a contract killing for Rooney, but Sullivan’s young son follows him out of the house and witnesses the murder. The instant Sullivan realizes that his son has seen the night’s events, he knows his life has changed forever. He knows that both he and his son will be placed on a hit list because the son knows too much. They must go on the run in order to save their lives. Despite Sullivan’s profession, he tries to teach his son the right way to live.
“Miller’s Crossing” (1990)
Tom Regan (Gabriel Byrne) is a key confidant of crime boss Leo (Albert Finney) during Prohibition. Leo gets in a beef with another crime boss, named Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito), about a bookie who has been cheating the rival boss. Tom is supposed to be the calming influence because he knows how to keep the peace. However, he doesn’t have the wherewithal to stop this feud and it develops into a gang war.
“Mystic River” (2003)
Childhood friends Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) have all gone in different directions. Markum is a Boston-area gangster, Boyle has struggled to find his way after suffering sexual abuse as a child, and Devine has become a police detective. When Markum’s daughter is murdered, evidence points to Boyle and Devine is assigned to the case.
“The Town” (2010)
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is a career Boston-area mobster who has grown sick of his life and wants to make a change after he falls in love with Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), the manager of a bank branch he has recently robbed with his gang. However, MacRay can’t just walk away because mob boss Fergie Colm (Pete Postlethwaite) insists that his crew pull one more job – robbing Fenway Park after a weekend series with the Yankees.
“The Departed” (2006)
Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a Massachusetts state police officer who infiltrates a criminal enterprise run by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a key Costello operative who infiltrates the Massachusetts state police. As Billy and Colin realize they are in danger of getting outed, each tries to discover who the moles are in their respective organizations.