This Scorsese epic is as strong as its cast. With De Niro, Pacino and Pesci delivering some of their best ever performances in what is sure to become a true classic.
The film starts with a panning shot across a retirement home, towards our narrator - a very old and wheelchair bound Robert De Niro, playing Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, who is recounting his past to an unknown character. As we follow the Irishman's memories into the past, three distinct time frames develop. His origin story; a road trip he takes with the mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) in his senior years; and the present in which they are narrated to us by an even older Frank.
The film centres around Frank's career. He starts out as a regular truck driver, ferrying beef from the slaughterhouse to the butcher. A chance meeting with Russel, a powerful and respected gangster starts to change all of that. At first Frank's only crime is selling mobsters some premium steak from his cargo before delivering it to the butcher, but before long he's "painting houses" as a respected hitman for the mob, and becoming a trusted friend of the famous Teamsters union president, Jimmy Hoffa.
The story spans six decades - from the second world war to the 2000s with the characters being rather convincingly de-aged with some fancy new CGI techniques. For the most part it's unnoticeable, which I believe is a testament to how well the tech was used. There were very few moments in which I was reminded that in reality, these actors no longer look like they did back in Goodfellas.
Joe Pesci delivers an incredible performance as the calm and seemingly empathetic mobster Russell Bufalino - a digression from his usual roles that involve pulling his gun on someone for calling him funny, or putting peoples heads in vices. The fervour instead comes from Al Pacino as the charismatic and slightly unstable Jimmy Hoffa. All three stars give amazing performances, and are backed up by a strong supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Jesse Plemons, as well as a brief appearance from a SpaceCats favourite: Steve Van Zandt. The dialogue is captivating even when... or especially when it is seemingly mundane - a conversation between Russell and Frank during a bowling night, in which they talk about the shyness of Frank's young daughter comes to mind. Like many conversations in The Irishman, a lot is said without the words being uttered. Whether it be as simple as Russel ordering Frank to kill someone without actually stating anything of the sort, or the scenes with Anna Paquin's excellent performance as Frank's grown up daughter where much is said without any dialogue at all.
Despite the non-linear story telling, and the flashbacks within flashbacks, there is no confusion as to which point we are at in the story. The time frames merging seamlessly in such a way that you don't realise that the past has caught up to the present for quite some time. It expertly demonstrates something Frank tells a nurse towards the end of the film: "You don’t know how fast time goes by until you get there."
With a runtime of 3.5 hours, this really is an epic. It does not quite overstay its welcome, but you almost feel like you've lived six decades with Frank by the end. In a great mirror of reality, and our dual perception of the passing of time, the film makes the present moment feel long and almost infinite yet time marches slowly forward, and we reach moments in Frank's life before we even realise we're there.
On the surface there are the typical Scorsese expressions of glamourised mob crime, extremely brief yet visceral flashes of violence and a vein of dark wit through it all. However, as the time frames converge, we reach an anticlimactic final act, yet I say this not as a criticism. This act cements the real themes of The Irishman - age, loss, abandonment and regret. We see these themes develop throughout - as random characters get freeze-framed and their date and cause of death are displayed on screen. Through the slow, and cigarette-break-filled road trip to attend a wedding, in which two killers and their wives travel like retired couples on holiday. Through the way Frank attempts to protect those he loves in ways that only push them away, and a particular phone call Frank makes to Hoffa's wife. By the end, both Frank and the audience have a lot to recollect and think on.
Some people may find the runtime of 3.5 hours a bit too much to bear, and despite the long duration I found myself wishing we had gotten to know a few of the characters a little better. Some people who apparently have a lot of importance in Frank's life barely get any screen time... yet maybe that's not because Scorsese has neglected them, but rather that Frank has.
The performances are superb, and the underlying themes which develop throughout, and are explored masterfully in the films third part, raise the film above what would otherwise be a rather enjoyable crime epic. The Irishman is a new classic, and probably Scorsese's best film since Goodfellas.
