MTV Is Dead: The 17 Best Irish Movies of All Time

After your eat your Lucky Charms and drink your green beer while listening to House of Pain's "Jump Around" on repeat, celebrate St. Patrick's Day by watching these movies. I'm not Irish -- I'll probably be wearing black.

17. The Boondock Saints

Watch a couple of multilingual, tatted up Irish twins (literally) from Southie shoot up Boston's underworld on a Blues Brothers-style mission. The Walking Dead made Norman Reedus a mainstream star but The Boondock Saints made him an underground movie legend to millions of fans.

16. Manchester by the Sea

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"Manchester by the Sea" is definitely a work of art for many reasons. This is a gut-wrenching film that encompasses everything - great directing, scenery that is just beautiful, a storyline that is believable and captures you and pulls you in and, oddly enough, humor as well.

But what I really find amazing about the film is that of the performance by Casey Affleck. Every once in a while an actor delivers a performance that is just enthralling and makes you feel everything seen on screen. In the most recent times a few actors bring this to mind - Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nations", Lupita Nyong'o in "12 Years a Slave", Charlize Theron in "Monster" and Heath Ledger in both "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight." I am sure there are others but those are the ones most recently come to mind. Casey Affleck is the latest to give his all and he gives a performance that is both funny, touching and sad all at once. There is a part of the storyline that I cannot mention as it would give away too much but what he does and goes through is achingly difficult and explains his behavior.

All of the other performances in the film are great as well and I cannot imagine the Academy not bestowing many Oscar nominations on this film. I know many will find it slow and perhaps boring - as there is no fast paced action in it - but every once in a while it is nice to put away the 'popcorn fluff' and watch a grown up film. Excellent - A!

- John Z.

15. Kill the Irishman

The craziest thing about Kill the Irishman is that it's based on a true story. 1970s Cleveland was out of control. And the most out of control dude around seemed to be Danny Greene. In the middle of a war with the local mafia he even gave an interview to a tv station in front of his home -- and used the moment to talk sh#t to and threaten the hitmen looking for him live on the air. Now that's gangster.

14. The Devil's Own

The Devil's Own is the only movie on the list about an IRA member. Native Irishman Francis "Frankie Angel" McGuire moves in with his New York-bred sponsor and police sergeant Tom O'Meara and all hell breaks loose.

13. Miller's Crossing

A dedicated manipulator, Tom Reagan maneuvers the Prohibition-era Chicago underworld like a gangland Machiavelli. As he's reminded throughout the film, Tom is the quiet type. But Miller's Crossing practically shouts: "Never trust anybody."

Miller's Crossing is the Coen brothers' take on the heyday of Irish gangsters -- Prohibition. Bootleggers, Tommy Guns and mob hats. How can you turn that down?

12. Black Mass

The Departed is very loosely based on crime boss Whitey Bulger, who was #2 on the FBI's Most Wanted List for years. Second only to Osama Bin Laden. Black Mass is a lot truer to Bulger's story. It's also one of Johnny Depp's best movie performances.

11. The Cotton Club

The Cotton Club is Francis Ford Coppola's non-Godfather gangster movie. All of the action, involving real-life 1920s bootlegers Lucky Luciano, Owney "Killer" Madden, Dutch Shultz and Bumpy Johnson, revolves around the real-life segregated Harlem nightclub of the same name. In those days the very popular club featured an all-African American roster of performers, such as Cab Calloway, but only whites were allowed to patronize the place. A segregated club in Harlem -- the virtual capital of African-America. Can you believe that sh#t? F'd up but true.

10. Sleepers

Like State of Grace, Sleepers also features The Westies. But Sleepers is better -- even without Gary Oldman.

9. The Public Enemy

This movie provided the template for Irish-American gangsters. James Cagney at his Cagney-iest, Humphrey Bogart as a villain and possibly the first instance of somebody getting mushed in the face on camera. It's all here.

8. Million Dollar Baby

When Girlfight was released at the turn of the century, it received widespread critical acclaim and caused Hollywood to sit up and take notice of then-newcomer Michelle Rodriguez. But if you've never seen a film depicting the world of boxing from a woman's point-of-view and you find yourself curious, skip it and see Million Dollar Baby instead.

Though not a biopic like Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby is based on short stories by Jerry Boyd, a boxing manager and "cutman" (the guy who treats the fighter's lacerations, swelling and bleeding in the corner, between rounds). It's the story of Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old waitress who takes home the scraps that customers leave on their plates. Her dream is to defy the expectations of her community and family, and for women of her background and upbringing, by embracing her passion -- boxing. To this end, she pleads with misanthropic Frankie Dunn, trainer, cutman and owner of flea-bag Los Angeles gym the Hit Pit, to train and manage her. Frankie's closest friend and only employee is long-retired contender Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris. "Scrap", for short, empathizes with Maggie in ways that Frankie never could and speaks up for her to his old friend in a way that Maggie never could.

At one point, Dupris knocks out Shawrelle Berry, an African-American boxing hopeful, for beating up "Danger", a potential-challenged, white, aspiring boxer who announced on his first day at the gym that he didn't have a problem with "niggers". I'm not quite sure whose idea it was (director Eastwood, screenwriter Paul Haggis or writer Jerry Boyd), but this seems like an obvious attempt to send the message: "See? Not everyone uses racial slurs maliciously! Can't we all just get along without political-correctness?" Riiight.

Million Dollar Baby is all about second chances. Frankie gets a second chance to become a great trainer; "Scrap" gets a second chance that I won't spoil for those who haven't seen the movie; and Maggie gets a second chance at a fulfilling life. When the dust had settled at the 77th Academy Awards, Morgan Freeman ("Scrap-Iron") had won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (after going home empty-handed his first time around for 1987's Street Smart); Eastwood had won his second Oscar for Best Director for his second collaboration with Freeman; and star Hilary Swank had won her second Oscar for Best Actress.

Ironically, though 2006's Invincible was based on a true story, Million Dollar Baby seems to be the more realistic of the two over-the-hill amateur athlete-overcomes-the-odds films. One of the many aspects of Baby that adds to the realism: two generations of a white family participate in welfare fraud.

Apparently, some have assumed Baby is the "female Rocky". It's not. DO NOT watch this film expecting to see Raquel Balboa. But do watch this film. It's probably the best movie of 2004 (Yes, it's better than Sideways).

7. The Fighter

The Fighter is one of the best films set in the Boston area that doesn't belong to the crime genre and hands-down the pinnacle of Mark Wahlberg's collaborative efforts with director David O. Russell. Wahlberg was so committed to the role that he had a boxing ring built in his home and consulted eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and his coach Freddie Roach.

The movie is loosely based on the lives of two former professional boxers -- "Irish" Micky Ward and his older brother Dicky Eklund. Most of the focus is on Ward's career in the ring (and time off from his career) in the 1990s. In fact, the movie opens during his respite from the fight game, working on a road-paving crew with Eklund in their native Lowell, Massachusetts, located 30 miles northwest of Beantown. Ward's professional trajectory is hampered by injuries, failing self-confidence and family -- including Eklund.

Eklund, a former Welterweight champion and Ward's trainer, also suffered from a crack cocaine addiction. He was even featured in the 1995 HBO documentary, High On Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell. His habit led to prison time in the mid to late 1990s. During his career, Eklund lost a 10-round decision bout to boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. All of these stages of Eklund's life are depicted in the movie.

The film ends before Ward's trilogy of bouts with hall of fame boxing champ Arturo Gatti -- the fights for which he's best known. But the movie would've been far too long had that story been included. This does, however, present the possibility of a sequel.

6. Good Will Hunting

No disrespect to the dead, but this is the only Robin Williams movie I'm willing to watch. And he really did deserve to win that Oscar for his work in this classic about a Boston thug who also happens to be a genius. What's Matt Damon's best role? Jason Bourne or Will Hunting? You decide.

5. Snatch

Snatch is director Guy Ritchie's best movie and the jewel in Jason Statham's crown. Brad Pitt's accent in his first movie as an Irishman (The Devil's Own) was suspect. This time it's so thick you can't even tell what he's saying half the time. But it's great. "One-punch" Mickey is unforgettable.

4. Angels with Dirty Faces

The ending of this movie disturbs the hell outta me. But everything up until then it's incredible.

3. Warrior

Warrior is the MMA version of Rocky. But waay better. It's even set in Pennsylvania.

2. The Departed

Did you know that The Departed is a remake? Yeah, Martin Scorcese took a break from La Cosa Nostra to remix the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs into an examination of Boston's Winter Hill Gang. Honestly, I didn't respect Leonardo DiCaprio's skills until this movie. Romeo + Juliet? The Beach? This Boy's Life? Gilbert Grape? Titanic? You can keep all of that. But The Departed got my attention. And Scorcese threw in little details of Boston history like the 1970s busing riots that stemmed from the desegregation of the public school system.

1. The Town

Ben Affleck decided not to direct his upcoming movie The Batman because of the disappointing reception he got for the last flick he directed and starred in -- Live by Night. But the first movie he pulled double duty on -- The Town -- makes the best argument for why he maybe should call the shots when he jumps back into the Batmobile. Yeah, Argo won the Oscar for Best Picture but it sucks compared to this movie. The trailer might lead you to believe that it's just a heist film. No. The Town is so much more. The movie explores an entire subculture in which the criminals in one Massachusetts community approach robbing banks as though it were any other legitimate trade. Never mind car-jacking. The stick-up kids in Charlestown jack armored trucks. By the way, there's a scene on the extended edition dvd/blu-ray that contains some racist comments. It was wisely deleted from the theatrical version.

- Ran Britt

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