The Irishman stars Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran, recounting his days as a mafia hitman, from being introduced to a life of crime during his time as a delivery driver. After being acquitted of criminal charges by lawyer Bill Bufalino, played by Ray Romano, he’s introduced to Bill’s cousin Russell, played by Joe Pesci, who sends Frank on various jobs, including murders. Russell then introduces Frank to Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino, who utilizes Frank as his personal bodyguard as he deals with pressure from both the government and a feud with fellow Teamster Tony Pro, played by Stephen Graham. While Frank and Jimmy become close, Jimmy’s brash personality soon gets in the way and puts Frank in an uncomfortable position.
Director Martin Scorsese returns to his first major crime-based movie since 2006’s The Departed, once again showcasing he still has what it takes to tell a great crime epic (not that he had anything to prove at this point). The film will no doubt be compared to his 1990 classic GoodFellas (and to an extent Casino), due to the fact that both films share two of the same actors in major roles, and chronicles the rise and fall of a major crime family. However, whereas films like GoodFellas are loud, brash, and are about the excess of power, The Irishman is more of a quiet, meditative film that actually centers more around the themes of family.
Like many of Scorsese’s other crime epics, this takes place over the course of many years. Though this time around, rather than using makeup to make Robert De Niro and others appear older in the later segments of the film, this uses de-aging technology to make De Niro, Joe Pesci, and a few others appear younger during the first half of the film. At first it does take a bit to get used to seeing these actors appear much younger when they’re first introduced, especially in a few sequences (most notably with Al Pacino) where the technology is apparent.
However, once some time is spent with the characters, the fact they appear this way through technology is quickly forgotten. In fact, as the film progresses, the transition from old to young is almost seamless, and it gets to a point where it becomes questionable if the technology is even being used. The only downside to the technology is that while it makes the actors appear younger, it can’t mask the fact that De Niro, Pesci, and everyone else still move like people in their 70’s. They’re hunched over in quite a few scenes, and aren’t that animated when they’re required to do something more physical. This is most apparent early on where De Niro is seen kicking someone on the street, and his movement is noticeably slow.
Despite all that, the minor technology issues prove to be anything but a distraction, as the story remains consistently engaging, even if not necessarily as wild and action-packed as a typical Scorsese film. It’s a very dialogue-heavy film, with storytelling at the heart of what drives many scenes forward. Much of the film involves a voiceover narration from De Niro, and there are plenty of scenes even where characters will go into lengthy conversations revealing their backstories to other characters, such as De Niro recounting to Pesci the history of what led him to speaking Italian.
While the film leans heavily into its use of dialogue and narration, it doesn’t feel like it slows the movie down, but instead enhances the experience. There’s still plenty going on in terms of visuals that are supported by the narration. Many scenes where voiceover is involved center on De Niro by himself, and allows for him to explain what’s going on through his head in that moment, which logically wouldn’t make sense for him to just say out loud to no one.
The movie is three and a half hours long, yet it still leaves audiences wanting more when all’s said and done. And this movie covers a lot. There are a slew of supporting characters who weave in and out of the narrative, with the likes of Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons, and more major names showing up for an extended period of time.
Yet the film never feels overstuffed with so many people involved in the story, and what’s nice is that there’s just enough time spent with nearly all of them to be interested in what they do, and make their presence missed once they exit. The film even utilizes a tactic where if the real-life counterpart met an unfortunate end unrelated to the main story, their cause of death would be briefly shown on screen when they’re introduced. This is something of a subversive take on something utilized by the TV series Six Feet Under, or earlier this year’s Cold Pursuit.
And in terms of the cast’s performances, nearly everyone crushes it. De Niro is once again great, being reunited with Scorsese for the first time since Casino (not counting a promotional short film they did in 2015). As opposed to many of his earlier collaborations with Scorsese though, there’s much more pathos to Frank Sheeran, who at times struggles with balancing out his family life with his life of crime. The effects of his actions with the Bufalinos profoundly affect him throughout the film, and seeing him struggle internally at times gave him great depth, even if he was someone whose actions audiences couldn’t fully condone.
Joe Pesci is also phenomenal, being his first time on screen in general in years, having been in retirement since the 90’s. He’s also very slow and meditative here, but for much different reasons. Like many of his previous characters, he’s someone who will decide someone’s fate in nearly the blink of an eye. But this time around, playing the head of a crime family, he does so without ever having to lift a finger. And his power is greatly felt throughout the movie. Despite being seemingly much more laid back than he is in his previous collaborations with Scorsese, he’s still someone who other characters wouldn’t want to cross, and the effects of what he can do are conveyed through subtle, yet masterful facial expressions.
Al Pacino is by far the film’s highlight though as jimmy Hoffa. While it’s Pacino’s first collaboration with Scorsese, he’s allowed to essentially do what he does best in films, which is rant and rave. He has by far the biggest energy in the film that adds as a nice balance to many of the film’s quieter characters. Pacino works best when he’s allowed to be larger than life, and his major outbursts and over-the-top speeches are really entertaining and keep the film moving at a nice pace.
The only major element of the film that really didn’t work so much was Anna Paquin’s inclusion as Frank’s daughter. Her storyline is used to emphasize how Frank’s life of crime affected his family life, and while it does work at times, it doesn’t have as profound of an effect on the story as it should have. Most of the time her character is seen is when she’s younger, and when she’s seen as an adult, she’s only seen for a few seconds at a time, and has little-to-no dialogue in each instance. Yet, her presence is supposed to have a major effect on Frank.
However, because such little time is spent with her as an adult and Paquin is reduced to mostly a cold stare each time she’s on screen, it doesn’t resonate as well as nearly anything else in the film. This mostly goes on during the third act, and it’s the only major instance when the runtime can truly be felt. This part of the film feels more tacked on, and it’s the one element of the film that feels like it drags on way longer than it should have. Either this section of the film could have been condensed, or Paquin’s presence could have been a more major element so it would allow this portion of the film to overall have the effect it should have.
The Irishman is another great achievement from Martin Scorsese, finding him once again doing what he does best. It serves as a more mature counterpart to his crime epics of the 90’s, taking its time to really show not only these characters in action, but the profound effects their actions have on others. It’s a long film that mostly earns its runtime, and despite having such an unorthodox length, it still leaves audiences begging for more. It contains a top-notch cast, all of whom give their best performances in years, telling the tale of such deeply complex characters filled with a touching sadness, cold-hearted brutality, and sometimes even a dark sense of humor. It took Scorsese well over ten years to make this film a reality, and the wait was well worth it.
Recommendation: Watch It
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