The Irishman - Review
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham
In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran (De Niro) meets notorious mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and becomes involved in his crime family. As he ascends the ranks and raises his profile to become a top hitman, Frank also goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), the powerful Teamster.
Adapted from Charles Brandt's book I Heard You Paint Houses by screenwriter Steve Zaillian, everything about The Irishman suggests that this is the project that Martin Scorsese has been building up to for his entire career; a mobster film featuring acting royalty, a mammoth budget and an astonishing three and a half hour run time. This lengthy figure may scream excessive, but every scene, every moment, feels crucial and worthy of its inclusion in the story. Whether it be Frank and Russell and their respective wives bickering over the no-smoking in the car rule whilst en route to a wedding or confessional exchanges between Frank and Jimmy, everything is earned and deserves its place in the cut.
There has been much discussion surrounding the use of de-ageing effects in the film to allow the actors to play their characters across multiple decades. As we flash back to an ingenuous Frank, De Niro's altered piercing blue gaze and blemish/wrinkle-free is a jarring contrast from the geriatric iteration of the character that we were introduced to just moments before. It's an initial shock and takes some time to adjust to, but the unfolding storyline and Frank's assimilation into the world of crime consumes the audience and the VFX soon become an afterthought. However, the effects render themselves most visible when the actors body movements and physicality fail to correlate with their youthful appearances (Frank assaulting a grocer after disrespecting one of his daughters particularly highlights this issue).
De Niro, Pesci and Pacino all deliver excellent performances, but their characters each possess a different demeanour that gives The Irishman such an eclectic energy. Pacino as the affable but influential Jimmy Hoffa provides a lot of the films' laughs while Pesci imbues Russell with a certain degree of sympathy. Russell and his wife cannot have children so he attempts to gain the affection of Frank's, particularly Peggy (Paquin), through gifting them presents. Peggy rejects all of his efforts and becomes a near-silent witness to all of the criminalities going on around her, becoming a reflection of Frank's misgivings as the years go by that he can no longer ignore.
A sombre and reflective crime epic, Scorsese's latest entry into his unparalleled career gathers a host of cinematic legends to deliver a melancholic portrayal of the haunting effects of regret.
EB
Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham
Adapted from Charles Brandt's book I Heard You Paint Houses by screenwriter Steve Zaillian, everything about The Irishman suggests that this is the project that Martin Scorsese has been building up to for his entire career; a mobster film featuring acting royalty, a mammoth budget and an astonishing three and a half hour run time. This lengthy figure may scream excessive, but every scene, every moment, feels crucial and worthy of its inclusion in the story. Whether it be Frank and Russell and their respective wives bickering over the no-smoking in the car rule whilst en route to a wedding or confessional exchanges between Frank and Jimmy, everything is earned and deserves its place in the cut.
There has been much discussion surrounding the use of de-ageing effects in the film to allow the actors to play their characters across multiple decades. As we flash back to an ingenuous Frank, De Niro's altered piercing blue gaze and blemish/wrinkle-free is a jarring contrast from the geriatric iteration of the character that we were introduced to just moments before. It's an initial shock and takes some time to adjust to, but the unfolding storyline and Frank's assimilation into the world of crime consumes the audience and the VFX soon become an afterthought. However, the effects render themselves most visible when the actors body movements and physicality fail to correlate with their youthful appearances (Frank assaulting a grocer after disrespecting one of his daughters particularly highlights this issue).
De Niro, Pesci and Pacino all deliver excellent performances, but their characters each possess a different demeanour that gives The Irishman such an eclectic energy. Pacino as the affable but influential Jimmy Hoffa provides a lot of the films' laughs while Pesci imbues Russell with a certain degree of sympathy. Russell and his wife cannot have children so he attempts to gain the affection of Frank's, particularly Peggy (Paquin), through gifting them presents. Peggy rejects all of his efforts and becomes a near-silent witness to all of the criminalities going on around her, becoming a reflection of Frank's misgivings as the years go by that he can no longer ignore.
A sombre and reflective crime epic, Scorsese's latest entry into his unparalleled career gathers a host of cinematic legends to deliver a melancholic portrayal of the haunting effects of regret.
EB
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