With his recent, controversial comments about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that angered many people like myself, Martin Scorsese still is considered by many film historians as one of Cinema’s greatest directors of all time. He helped ferociously amp up the genres of gangster films and biopics.
When everyone heard that his latest 3 and a half hour epic “The Irishman” was going to be on Netflix, people weren’t at all satisfied until Landmark Theaters announced that they do show Netflix films. That brought up the idea of going to see the actual movie in the theater. Many ecstatic film fans were incredibly excited and chose to do this.
I did too.
“The Irishman” is set up like a gangster epic from the early ’70’s and illustrates the story of Frank Sheeran (a de-aged Robert De Niro if you may ask), where we basically get a detailed look on his entire life.
While occupying as a truck driver for very raw meat, Frank gets a call from Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) and asks that if he can get involved with his crime family led by his boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). He then agrees with Bill and becomes a vigorous hit man nobody could come across.
Not only does he become a hit man, but the film unfolds into different chapters of American history where Frank gets involved with famous labor union Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (an amazing Al Pacino). This film also references the emotional times when he lived through John F. Kennedy’s election as well as his death, too.
This is the kind of Scorsese you do not get too often nor does not fare well at the box office. “The Irishman” is a melancholic-style Scorsese blending the slow pacing of “Silence” and the intense, gripping textures of “Casino” and “Goodfellas”. It comes off as a slow, meditative version of both of these films.
This movie also does showcase that gangster epics like itself never get made in Hollywood these days similar to eerie horror classics like “Rosemary’s Baby”.
“The Irishman” sure does showcase Scorsese’s gangster tropes from the past, but it sure did put a smile on my face seeing the return of both Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro playing a great lead performance again. Who even knows the next time we see that ever repeated in history?
It’s sometimes ridiculously-long 3 1/2 hour run-time feels almost earned for it being a great character piece on Frank and how we get to know this person. It illustrates emotional themes like reflecting upon your past and your decisions.
Yes. He actually is related to Ed Sheeran. It is true.
This movie might actually get more awards-hungry than either “Parasite” or “Jojo Rabbit” because there is a lot of spectacle to be found where it can receive Oscars for.
A certain thing people are overlooking is Rodrigo Prieto’s strikingly beautiful cinematography. There are many shots that are incredibly detailed and truly tell a story behind them. Other than “Joker”, not too many movies in 2019 have cinematography that is THIS noticeable. Many of these shots pan out far away or can be in slow-motion.
My personal favorite cinematography shot is of course the one-continuous tracking shot through the assistive living place set to The Five Satins’ “In the Still of the Night”.
The performances are very top-notch as always expected from Martin Scorsese.
Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran is the main performance that has the feeling of a character piece you journey with him throughout. It is nice seeing him return to great roles like this unlike (cough, cough) “Dirty Grandpa”. He deems to be very much in the conversation for this awards season indeed.
A couple of actors who aren’t in the film that much were surprisingly both Joe Pesci and Ray Romano as Russell and Bill Bufalino respectively. They didn’t have that much screen time and the lack of it is for a reason I won’t spoil.
Al Pacino without question gives the best performance in the movie as Teamster Jimmy Hoffa. He does a tremendous job embodying as the demanding motivational speaker Hoffa was. Pacino’s Hoffa is the kind of character when if something doesn’t go his directions, he brutally stirs up a hornet’s nest.
Pacino’s second Oscar is coming…..
Jesse Plemons (Game Night) also gets very out-of-character in his role of Hoffa’s foster son Chuckie O’Brien. There is one titular scene where he, Hoffa, Sheeran, and Teamsters vice president Anthony Provenzano (Stephen Graham) talk about fish in a car and it is hilarious.
When closely paying attention to this movie, Anna Paquin plays an almost silent performance of Frank’s daughter Peggy who soon becomes to play an important role later in Frank’s life. It is a huge improvement of what Tarantino tried to attempt with Sharon Tate in this year’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” where she easily could have been cut out of the movie.
Although I am more of a “Wolf of Wall Street” person, Scorsese’s “The Irishman” acts as a celebration to his gangster classics while adding more of a slower mood you wouldn’t expect from those movies. It works in both respectful manners from an Oscar-worthy script by Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List”, Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York”).
It has Oscar written all over it.
Grade: 8.5/10
