The Best Irish American Movies
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- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsViggo MortensenMaria BelloEd HarrisA mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
- DirectorMaureen FoleyStarsBilly SmithEwe BenedictAnastasia BarnesA musician and a fireman work against certain expectations in order to pursue their respective dreams.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsEmily WatsonRobert CarlyleJoe BreenAn Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyPat O'BrienHumphrey BogartA priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.
- DirectorEdward BurnsStarsBrian BurnsVincent RubinoJames Michael CummingsAsh Wednesday is set in the Manhattan of the early 1980's and is about a pair of Irish-American brothers (Burns and Wood) who become embroiled in a conflict with the Irish Mob.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsSean PennReni SantoniJim MoodyChicago crime kid Mick O'Brien is sent to reform school after accidentally killing a rival's kid brother.
- DirectorTimothy NormanStarsKristen SavageRandy ParadisSean FowlerA blood-soaked chronicle of the final desperate gang war between Boston's Irish and Italian mobs.
- DirectorGeorge BazalaStarsPatrick ClarkeBeverley ElderConn HorganA young Irishman enters the US illegally with his wayward friend Seamus. Landing in New York the pair start out with dreams of striking it rich but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get-rich schemes, the more cautious Patrick finds himself devoting time to looking after Tom, an Irish author down on his luck, and courting Helen a struggling actress caught in sordid relationship with a much older man.
- DirectorRichard O'ConnellStarsPaul BarnettKevin P. KearnsKevin Barry ArttThis, but his sordid past in form of his gangster older brother keeps biting him on heels.
- DirectorBrad GannStarsMichael AngaranoBrendan GleesonEmily VanCampA teenage boy longs to win the attention of his emotionally distant father.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsSpencer TracyMickey RooneyHenry HullWhen a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn't have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to start a home for young boys.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweRenée ZellwegerCraig BierkoThe true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
- DirectorLodge KerriganStarsKatrin CartlidgeVincent D'OnofrioColm MeaneyA high-priced call girl, shocked by her mother's death, decides to get out of the business and have a baby. The steps that she takes to free herself from her pimp and find a father for the baby are the central story of this movie.
- DirectorBill MuirStarsPaul RonanRonan CarrJenny ConroyAn Irishman emigrates to New York during the most heated point of the tensions in Northern Ireland in 1991. However, escaping the conflict in his home country does not free him from the strife. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a gun running operation involving his cousin and two hot-headed friends. And things get further complicated when the Irishman gets involved with the long-suffering wife of one of the gun-runners.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanThomas GibsonA young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCameron DiazDaniel Day-LewisIn 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
- DirectorJohn G. BlystoneStarsJames CagneyMae ClarkeJames BurkeThe adventures of an investigator (Cagney) for the Bureau of Weights and Measures.
- DirectorMarc PowersStarsMichael BurkeStephen J. BurkeMarc ColucciFor two lifelong friends from Boston "green" means money. So when they start up a counterfeiting ring it seems that they will be in the "green" for good. But no matter how close their friendship or how strong the bond of trust between them. They are about to find out the hard way. Money changes everything Friendship and trust take a backseat to greed and dishonesty in this compelling drama from writer/director Marc Powers. "GREEN" is an interesting as well as honest look at what the effects of money, along with other influences, can have on any relationship.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.
- DirectorMichael DinnerStarsDonald SutherlandAndrew McCarthyJohn HeardA new transfer student to St. Basil's Boys' Prep School tries to fit in while romantically pursuing a troubled young girl.
- DirectorDaniel McCarthyStarsDaniel BaldwinJohn NovakWings Hauser"Irish Eyes" explores the relationship between two Irish-American brothers in Boston born to immigrant parents and raised in a rough, working class Irish neighborhood. After watching their father being gunned down in front of their eyes as children, Thomas and Sean Phelan grow up building their lives on opposite ends of the law. Thomas, the studious and responsible brother, creates a better life for himself through education and hard, honest work. Eventually, he builds a successful career as a US Attorney. Sean, the more rebellious of the two, gets caught up in a life of crime and rises through the ranks to become the head of the Irish Mob. Spanning from post World War II during the late 1950's through the Irish Mob wars of the 1970's and culminating in their adulthood in the 1990's, the story is set to the backdrop of backroom politics and the realities of the Irish Mob and it's gang wars. The theme of the film simultaneously addresses the similarities between the two factions of law and crime while revealing the similarities between the two brothers.
- DirectorJim SheridanStarsPaddy ConsidineSamantha MortonDjimon HounsouA family of Irish immigrants adjust to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsTyrone PowerAlice FayeDon AmecheThe O'Leary brothers--honest Jack and roguish Dion--become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
- DirectorJonathan HensleighStarsRay StevensonChristopher WalkenVincent D'OnofrioThe true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970's.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsMary PickfordWilliam HainesWalter JamesThe tenements are home to an international community, including the friends and family of a tough young ragamuffin named Annie Rooney, but their neighborhood is threatened by a dangerous street gang.
- DirectorGreydon ClarkKen SteinStarsChristopher BradleyBruce NozickRachel YorkNew York City is torn apart by an all-out mafia war. With brother Peter at his side, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll blasts his way from streetfighter to kingpin in the dangerous world of organized crime.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGabriel ByrneAlbert FinneyJohn TurturroTom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.
- StarsAidan HigginsEamonn DraperMichael KinsellaThe story of 6 of America's most notorious Irish American Mobsters ; Michael "King Mike" McDonald, Dion O'Bannion, Jack "Legs" Diamond, Owney Madden, John "Cockeye" Dunne and Danny Greene.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsSean PennTim RobbinsKevin BaconThe tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
- DirectorFrank KerrStarsLinda AmendolaMark NewellAidan ParkinsonA true story of an American woman caught up in the struggle for Irish independence.
- DirectorCharlie PetersStarsBob HoskinsJack WardenWilliam PetersenA bunch of eccentric relatives gather for their patriarch's funeral.
- DirectorRichard LaGraveneseStarsHilary SwankGerard ButlerHarry Connick Jr.A young widow discovers that her late husband has left her 10 messages intended to help ease her pain and start a new life.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsTom HanksTyler HoechlinPaul NewmanA mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
- DirectorPhil JoanouStarsSean PennEd HarrisGary OldmanA Boston cop is recruited to return to his hometown and infiltrate the mob ran by his best friend's brother.
- DirectorPete JonesStarsAmara Balthrop-LewisKevin PollakAidan QuinnA Catholic boy tries to convert a terminally ill Jewish boy, so he will be able to go to Heaven.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert De NiroKevin BaconBrad PittAfter a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized. Thirteen years later, an unexpected random encounter with a former guard gives them a chance for revenge.
- DirectorTed DemmeStarsDenis LearyIan HartJason BarryA small-time hoodlum is divided between his conscience and loyalty to his boss when his cousin is murdered.
- DirectorJohn SheaStarsDonnie WahlbergRose McGowanAnne MearaThree years ago when Danny Quinn left Southie, a tough Irish working-class neighborhood in South Boston, he left behind a world of crime and betrayal. Upon his return, Danny is forced to make a risky decision.
- DirectorTroy DuffyStarsWillem DafoeSean Patrick FlaneryNorman ReedusTwo Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston's criminal underworld in the name of God.
- DirectorTroy DuffyStarsSean Patrick FlaneryNorman ReedusBilly ConnollyThe MacManus brothers are living a quiet life in Ireland with their father, but when they learn that their beloved priest has been killed by mob forces, they go back to Boston to bring justice to those responsible and avenge the priest.
- CreatorPaul HaggisBobby MorescoStarsJonathan TuckerTom GuiryOlivia WildeFour young Irish brothers are caught up in New York's underworld of organized crime.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsAnne BaxterThomas MitchellSelena RoyleThe lives of a close-knit group of brothers growing up in Iowa during the days of the Great Depression.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsMark WahlbergChristian BaleAmy AdamsBased on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsRobert MitchumPeter BoyleRichard JordanAfter his last crime has him looking at a long prison sentence for repeat offenses, a low level Boston gangster decides to snitch on his friends to avoid jail time.
- DirectorMark JoffeStarsJaneane GarofaloDavid O'HaraMilo O'SheaMarcy is an assistant to Senator John McGlory, who is having problems with a re-election campaign. Desperate for Irish votes, McGlory's chief of staff Nick sends Marcy to Ireland to trace McGlory's relatives or ancestors. Marcy arrives at the village of Ballinagra when it is preparing for an annual Matchmaking Festival. A well-dressed, handsome, single young lady, she becomes the center of attention for two professional matchmakers, Dermot and Millie, as well as for bartender Sean.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSean ConneryRichard HarrisSamantha EggarIn 1876 Pennsylvania, a group of Irish immigrant coal miners begin to retaliate against the cruelty of their work environment.
- DirectorTony LuraschiStarsCraig WassonSterling HaydenPatricia QuinnA young American man joins the IRA in Ireland but soon finds out that he is being used for political purposes and propaganda.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsJames CagneyJean HarlowEdward WoodsAn Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckRebecca HallJon HammA proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsPaul NewmanCharlotte RamplingJack WardenAn outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.
- DirectorBill BennettStarsSandra BullockDenis LearyStephen DillaneA couple steals a Matisse painting on contract, and manage to evade the police. The sale takes place four days later on an island, but things don't go as planned.
- DirectorTony VitaleStarsMatthew ModineMartin LandauBen GazzaraA bartender captivates a stingy customer with the tale of two rival mob families.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsTom HardyNick NolteJoel EdgertonThe youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.
- DirectorBrian GoodmanStarsEthan HawkeMark RuffaloBrian GoodmanTwo childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsNick ThurstonGeoffrey WigdorStephen LangBrooklyn, 1975: two brothers looking for a way out of their working-class neighborhood make a pact to rob a local theater on the night of a Rolling Stones concert.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsEdward NortonBarry PepperPhilip Seymour HoffmanCornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.