Watching Paint Dry

Rating: 8/10 (5 December 2019)

In a time where crime movies are expected to be filled with action sequences and violent displays, Scorsese decides to take a step back and look beyond the violence to the people who are so quickly connected with it. Perhaps, Scorsese should have kept the movie with its original title, "I Heard You Paint Houses," as that tile summarizes the level of comfort the characters have with the actions they commit. And it is from this title that my headline comes from. I do not mean for a moment that the movie is boring, but instead, it brilliant captures the life of one man and the effect his life of crime had on him. It destroys his health, family, and friendships and from the time Frank (De Niro) is a young man "painting houses" until he sits in an assisted living home at the end, the audience has watched his life through and humbly sits with him as he asks the priest just to leave the door cracked. Scorsese masterful incorporates engaging dialogue, short powerful sequences of violence, and stunning characters that kept me enthralled throughout the long run time. Of all the movies, usually stuffed with explosions, that hit that bold 180 plus minutes, The Irishman was a welcomed break. De Niro and Pacino amaze with convincing dialogue between two colleagues, and friends. And Frank is greeted with the same question we must face, what became of our lives when all the paint dries.