Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
Rated R for pervasive language and strong violence
“I Heard You Paint Houses”. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are one of the greatest director/actor duos in the history of film. Films such as “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, and “Goodfellas” are excellent films that still hold up. The last feature film the pair made was in 1995 with “Casino”. So another collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro was overdue 24 years after “Casino”. “The Irishman” is the result of the new Scorsese and De Niro film, but is “The Irishman” as good as previous Scorsese and De Niro collaborations?
“The Irishman” is stars Robert De Niro, as Frank Sheeran, as truck driver gets involved with the mob with the help of Russell Buffalino (played by Joe Pesci). As his time in the mob, Sheeran is also involved with union leader, Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino), who infamously disappeared.
“The Irishman” has a excellent cast. Of course Robert De Niro is a legendary actor who works well with director Martin Scorsese. De Niro plays the usual character who is involved with the mob, such as “Goodfellas”. But Scorsese regular Joe Pesci is also excellent in the film, but is vastly different from we are used to seeing him. Pesci in Scorsese film is usually a mobster who is prone to anger. But in “The Irishman”, Pesci is a calm and collective mobster who doesn’t burst in anger. It was quite refreshing to see Pesci not play his usual character, but a different one who is quiet the opposite. In addition to De Niro and Pesci, Al Pacino is also quite well in the film, but there are some instances where Pacino plays his usual self. These days, the joke is how Pacino always yells in his films. This film does have Pacino yell at scenes, but it feels like a comedian doing a Pacino impersonation. Although his character was likable, scenes having Pacino yell feel like skits. Not that this is Pacino’s fault, but it feels like a tired trope.
Anyone who has seen Scorsese films know the usual tropes he likes to do. Having the long take, playing music over narration, the violence, etc. are all present in the film. I enjoyed these tropes and makes a film like this different and stand out from other films. But Scorsese films are known to be long as well, which does not bother me at all. But “The Irishman” is a very long film, clocking in around 3 and a half hours. This is a film that cannot be played in the background, it needs to be viewed without distractions. But since this film is so long, it is best viewed in two viewings. I watched the first half of the film one evening and finished the film the following day. Having the film over three hours does not mean the “The Irishman” is less of a film or should be ignored, but this is something that should be in mind when viewing the film.
“The Irishman” is also known for having a large budget, mostly due to de-aging technology used in the film for De Niro and Pesci. Unfortunately, the de-aging does yield mix results. Very early in the film, De Niro’s character is supposed to be a young man fixing a car. Pesci’s character approaches him and calls him “kid”. But De Niro looks like he was in his 50’s, so I am not sure if Pesci’s characters call everyone “kid” or if De Niro’s character was supposed to be in his 20’s or 30’s in this scene. If he was supposed to be in his 20’s or 30’s, then the film did a terrible job showing this. This technology is fairly new and I expect the technology to advance over the years, but in this instance it does not work at times.
Director Martin Scorsese returns to form by bringing back Scorsese regulars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in “The Irishman”. The film is filled with exceptional actors who, of course, deliver strong performances. As much as their is enjoyment in the film, the film is very long film that features de-aging technology that works well and not so well at times. “The Irishman” is a film that as good as previous Scorsese/ De Niro collaborations that is worth a watch on Netflix.
3.5/4
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