At 3 hours and 29 minutes long, with an estimated $159,000,000 budget, and boasting a legendary cast led by one of the greatest living directors of all time, the epic nature of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, is nearly unfathomable. Quite literally, it’s a film with the scope and ambition of being a masterpiece. Scorsese’s mob saga is a tour-de-force that leaps through decades to tell a story that is cinematically brilliant and surprisingly, one of his most emotionally introspective films.
The Irishman, inspired by true events, is told through the point of view of the film’s protagonist, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro). Confined to a nursing home and facing his mortality, Frank begins to recount his life’s story, which Scorsese shows through an expertly intercut series of flashbacks. Starting with Frank’s earliest days, we see him driving trucks as a typical blue-collar worker. After unexpectedly linking up with crime lord Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and delivering on personal “jobs” for the mobster, Frank finds himself in his inner circle, quickly climbing the ranks from family man to hitman.
Loyalty and discretion – the traits Bufalino admires so dearly in Frank – are also precisely the traits that union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, is looking for in a right-hand man. The hot-tempered and theatrical Hoffa and the cool and collected Frank are on opposite sides of the “composure” spectrum, yet they take to each other instantly and build trust as the years go by. However, good times in the world of organized crime don’t last long, and the organization’s corrupt inner workings, shady political connections, and dangerous rivalries continue to keep Frank and Hoffa on edge, all leading to the infamously unsolved mystery of Hoffa’s disappearance.
While the film evokes all of the incredible period-piece imagery and superb direction that audiences have come to love and expect from Scorsese, The Irishman is also surprisingly introspective, as he examines death and isolation in a closer way than ever before. Of course, plenty of humor is incorporated into the script – which is fantastically acted through further performances by Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano (although I wish the women had more than just a couple scenes with even fewer lines) – but it’s the film’s quieter moments that make it so unique. De Niro’s performance – or performances, plural, as he plays Frank through many years of his life with the help of CGI facial mapping – is sublime.
For Netflix, The Irishman is last year’s Roma: a big-budget picture helmed by one of the most respected artists of our time, and at the moment, an obvious front runner for nominations across the board come awards season. If you’re able to see this film in theaters, I highly recommend it. On the big screen, it’s much easier to immerse yourself into the film for its entire duration (I fear an at-home Netflix watch will lead many to pause the film and interrupt the experience). But either way, Scorsese’s latest is undoubtedly among his best and deserves to be seen in any way possible. – Morgan Rojas
THE IRISHMAN (2019)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Steven Zaillian
Distributor: Netflix
Running time: 209 minutes
Playing: In select theaters on November 1 and on Netflix November 27
