The Irishman
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Jesse Plemons, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham, Jack Huston, Ray Romano
Director: Martin Scorsese
Based on the novel "I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa" by Charles Brandt
We open on Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who is living out the rest of his days in a retirement home, recounting his life. Starting with his humble beginning as a delivery driver, he quickly realized he could make some money outsmarting his employer and selling his shipments on the side to Felix 'Skinny Razor' DiTullio (Bobby Cannavale). After getting caught and brought up on charges of theft, his lawyer Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) miraculously gets him off, despite Frank being unwilling to name names. Frank soon finds himself running errands and even committing murder for Bill's cousin Russell (Joe Pesci), the head of a Pennsylvania crime family. His meteoric rise continues when Russell introduces Frank to Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), becoming his right hand man. Soon, Frank finds himself in the middle of a vicious battle for control of the Teamsters, leading to a life of backstabbing and double crosses in order to survive.
Scorsese's return to gangster cinema, which is enjoying a month long theatrical run before being available to stream on Netflix, is an epic, slow faced, 3 1/2 hour love letter to old school film making. It's clear how comfortable Scorsese feels in this genre and his attention to detail is evident in every frame. The much hyped de-aging of characters is probably the best use I've seen of the technology. You can still see that it's a visual effect, but only if you are looking really hard.
The acting across the board is also excellent and gives viewers a reason to stay invested. De Niro and Pacino are electric together but Joe Pesci steals the movie. He had to be talked out of retirement to come back for this film and it very well might get him another Oscar. All three leads will probably be nominated, but Pesci might be the only one walking with a statue.
Goodfellas still holds the crown for the modern gangster film. I would even venture to say that The Irishman doesn't even hold a candle to Scorsese's true masterpiece. Where that film thrived with tension, this film falters greatly. Great acting can only get you so far and The Irishman gives you little reason to invest in the sprawling crime story outside of that. This movie feels 3 1/2 hours long, especially when the story isn't going out of its way to surprise you. You know the rise will be accompanied by the fall. You're sitting, waiting for certain characters to be whacked. You know someone is going to get double crossed at some point. As good of a director as he is, it really feels like Scorsese is just going through the motions with this one.
It's clear a lot of research and attention to period detail went into this well acted film. However, with a disappointing lack of tension in the narrative it's a shame the final product didn't quite live up to the hype.
C