The Irishman is a must see film this holiday season. The film follows Frank Sheeran (portrayed by Academy Award winning actor Robert DeNiro), an Irish truck driver that starts to climb the ranks in an Italian mob family, and forms a close bond with Teamster Union President, Jimmy Hoffa. The film is displayed in an array of different time periods, starting with an aging Frank retelling his tale of how he became involved in one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in American history.
The film, which stars the best of the best, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, Robert Deniro as the title role (Frank Sheeran), and Joe Pesci as mob boss Russell Bufalino is an incredible reunion for these iconic film stars. The acting in this film is astonishing. It’s exciting to see these Academy Award winning actors that have starred in movies together years ago, back again. It’s crazy to think after all these years, that these veteran actors are still at the top of their game.
DeNiro portrays an absolutely tragic character. A man that was just desperate to make some extra cash, gets caught up as being a hitman for a major mob family, and although it’s nice to see him being accepted into an Italian family and creating a life with a woman and his daughters, at what cost? He is struggling and suffering with all of his inner demons that surprisingly never really affect his persona. He is a professional through and through, which is quite scary at how perfectly the real Frank portrayed this double life. Pesci is powerful as crime boss Bufalino. Just his presence on camera is intimidating; with a single look he can be extremely dominant in his role. Pacino is almost unrecognizable in his role as Hoffa. He’s tough, and stubborn and at times a bit infuriating but, Scorsese shoots this film in such a way that the audience is sympathetic for these criminals.
Martin Scorsese is a master of his craft. The Academy Award winning director has created another instant classic crime drama for the books that now has a home on Netflix. Scorsese crafted this gripping narrative, which is based on true events, in such a remarkable way that the audience actually roots for these evil, crime ridden mobsters. He sets this harrowing tone throughout the whole film, that although the audience knows for the most part some of the events in the story, the way Scorsese pans everything out is still a sight to see.
The film jumps around a lot as far as time periods, and it is a rather long film with a running time of 3 hours and 29 minutes. But, Scorsese took his time in the details of the story, perfecting every shot in every scene. The best part about this film being so long is that the audience can view this from their couch, not in a movie theater, so if need be it can be paused for another time. Scorsese may have started something truly remarkable with constructing a major motion picture with a limited theatrical release, only to be released onto a streaming service like Netflix for viewers to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. Will more directors, filmmakers and studio execs take this route? This could quite possibly change how audiences watch movies altogether.
In conclusion, The Irishman, is recommended for people that enjoy crime dramas based on true events, thrillers packed with passion and aggression, a cold case that has grappled Americans everywhere, and a tale that centers on one man’s perspective of how his family, his friends, and his life struggled beyond repair after some of the life altering decisions he made and how he spends his life wrestling with them.
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