Year of Release: 2019
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Jack Huston, Gary Basaraba, Jesse Plemons, Anna Paquin, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Domenick Lombardozzi, Paul Herman, Kathrine Narducci, Jim Norton, Daniel Jenkins, Kevin O'Rourke, Paul Ben-Victor, Patrick Gallo, Jake Hoffman, Barry Primus, Jonathan Morris
Genre: Drama, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:
Director Martin Scorsese is back, following the wonderful "Silence", which was another one of his long gestating projects (much like his "The Last Temptation of Christ"). "The Irishman" which he opted in 2004, had an equally long process of getting to the screens, with Netflix finally producing and releasing the big budget feature. The film is based on the novel by Charles Brandt, and follows the story of Frank Sheeran, a war veteran who gets ingratiated into the ranks of organized crime in the 50s, and soon becomes a protege of Russell Bufalino, whom everyone reveres and abides to. As their collaborations unfold throughout the years, Frank is placed as second in command to Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa, with his large polarizing personality, also uses Frank to get his agenda ahead (or unblocking possible friction points). When Jimmy becomes the target of a Federal investigation, and is eventually arrested/incarcerated, for tampering with the trial/jury of his case, his downward trajectory begins, something Frank witnesses and tries to diplomatically avoid from happening. Jimmy's colorful personality however rubs multiple people the wrong way, forcing Frank to make some hard decisions, which impact his friendship with Jimmy himself, but also his family life altogether.
Much has been written on the topic of "The Irishman", particularly on such items as being the longest film directed by Martin Scorsese to date (it's 209 minutes), and also because it's the first reunion with one of his muses, Robert De Niro, since they last worked together in 1995's "Casino". "The Irishman" is in a way, a recap/digest of the world that Scorsese brought forth in his seminal "Goodfellas" from 1990. The film tracks the lives of Frank Sheeran, and those in his periphery, which included the iconic Russell Bufalino and the maligned Jimmy Hoffa. Unlike "Goodfellas" and Francis Coppola's "The Godfather" series, "The Irishman" focuses almost exclusively on the dealings these characters have with each other, and how society around them changes as a result of their dealings, without these individuals themselves, not changing that much. It doesn't particularly dwell that much on their family lives, giving very little insight into the women that populate this world. It's a film that feels very much as a direct descendant from the features of the 70s, in style (particularly evident in the impeccable production design and costumes), rhythm, but it does provide a third arc where most of these characters come to terms with their own mortality and what happens as you age and fade from memory. It's the particular part of the film that makes it the more memorable, the indication that everyone has to live with the consequences of their actions, that everyone is deeply human, flawed, no matter what life you led. It's also a film that isn't as immediately polished as some of the director's previous features, with some scenes with Robert De Niro failing to convince particularly when he has to be more physical, whereas the lack of any depth to any female character is also a dramatic flaw in this universe ("Casino" had the memorable Ginger, played by Sharon Stone, and "Goodfellas" had Karen Hill, played by Lorraine Bracco, bringing at least a somewhat different point of view to a male centric storyline). The central performances are wonderful, with a complicity between the three central actors which is wonderful to witness. For all its resources and powerful storytelling, this is a somewhat unbalanced feature in a career from a tremendously gifted storyteller.
Much has been written on the topic of "The Irishman", particularly on such items as being the longest film directed by Martin Scorsese to date (it's 209 minutes), and also because it's the first reunion with one of his muses, Robert De Niro, since they last worked together in 1995's "Casino". "The Irishman" is in a way, a recap/digest of the world that Scorsese brought forth in his seminal "Goodfellas" from 1990. The film tracks the lives of Frank Sheeran, and those in his periphery, which included the iconic Russell Bufalino and the maligned Jimmy Hoffa. Unlike "Goodfellas" and Francis Coppola's "The Godfather" series, "The Irishman" focuses almost exclusively on the dealings these characters have with each other, and how society around them changes as a result of their dealings, without these individuals themselves, not changing that much. It doesn't particularly dwell that much on their family lives, giving very little insight into the women that populate this world. It's a film that feels very much as a direct descendant from the features of the 70s, in style (particularly evident in the impeccable production design and costumes), rhythm, but it does provide a third arc where most of these characters come to terms with their own mortality and what happens as you age and fade from memory. It's the particular part of the film that makes it the more memorable, the indication that everyone has to live with the consequences of their actions, that everyone is deeply human, flawed, no matter what life you led. It's also a film that isn't as immediately polished as some of the director's previous features, with some scenes with Robert De Niro failing to convince particularly when he has to be more physical, whereas the lack of any depth to any female character is also a dramatic flaw in this universe ("Casino" had the memorable Ginger, played by Sharon Stone, and "Goodfellas" had Karen Hill, played by Lorraine Bracco, bringing at least a somewhat different point of view to a male centric storyline). The central performances are wonderful, with a complicity between the three central actors which is wonderful to witness. For all its resources and powerful storytelling, this is a somewhat unbalanced feature in a career from a tremendously gifted storyteller.
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