the irish american gangster in this bloody neo noir aren not entirely clear on which be a bad offense between murder or gentrification . that one of it more appealing theme . phil joanou entertain st. patty celebration reflect it character screwy allegiance and brutal deviation from any healthy and normal and or efficient condition . theyre extremely inept low level irish american gangster in hell kitchen and and the reach of their benefit from crime be that raise lease be coerce them out of their neighborhood . they be about to strike a deal with the italian mafia and who operate like the british parliament by comparison . but oldman first word to them in the movie be and the last guinea who walk around up here be columbus and and he only last a week . this dramatic crime thriller open with a homecoming . sean penn and who use to live in the neighborhood and be back in town and and surprise his best friend gary oldman in one of those trashy pub where gangster and alcoholic appear to be the exclusive patronage . the irish gang be lead by oldman old brother and ed harris and who run the show from his bourgeois house on a residential avenue and far from the botch drug run that finance his loan agreement . the two brother have a sister and robin wright and who have also try to escape the neighborhood by work at the front desk of an uptown hotel . but she and penn muddle head protagonist be once in love . though the drama seem formulaic and penn separate histrionics with each of the three sibling be interest . because what be vital to the drama in this forgotten gangster contemporary involve a considerable twist that it not fully divulge till halfway through and i reference carefully and but the most arresting element of the movie be outright and the disconcerted mindset oldman perfectly realize character who believe he be somehow hell kitchen robin hood by his murder and arson and other such crime . though the disorganized gang central enterprise seem to be drug deal and ed harris be ready to pull some sideline gig merely a a public duty . he have oldman and penn burn down a construction office on a site for a new white collar apartment building . the film bear great similarity to scorsese superior irish mob picture the depart . gary oldman performance steal the film . sean penn be an equally great actor and but he have a standard screenplay lead without as much room to build . he have to be reasonable and all tear up with internal strife . oldman character be more natural and unadulterated . he act only on the inclination of his feral reaction and intolerance and revenge and panic . there be moment in the film that be very disquieting and a when ed harris and who normally distance himself from his racket and find that he have to himself kill someone he love . but the movie plot paradoxically get less and less original and the more complicated it become . at the outset and when it seem concern only with the behavior of it character and it original and challenge . then it turn into a story fill with familiar element and and by the end everything be happen by the number .