Phenomenal

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2020)

The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorsese is an exciting, and interesting film about Pennsylvania's Bufalino crime family during the 1950s-1970s. The film focuses on Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and how he became one of the most respected and important members of the mob. Frank first joins the mob in the 1950's when he meets Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) while working as a truck driver. Frank recaps his life as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family, and claims to be responsible for the disappearance of the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). This film depicts Frank's life and shows how being part of the mob affected his life, and how it affected others like his family. It can be difficult to watch as you can see that Frank's family drifts further from him as they learn about the terrible things he does. The Irishman is a very interesting and entertaining movie, and anyone who appreciates movies about organized crime in the 1900's should definitely consider watching it.
The Irishman couldn't have better actors to portray the characters with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Romano playing the major roles. Having these actors who are known for their roles in classic mob movies like Goodfellas, The Godfather, and Scarface gives this movie a lot of credibility even though it's a Netflix produced movie, which tend to be not so good. Having great actors made it feel like I was actually witnessing all the murder and sabotage committed by Frank and his associates. One of the biggest problems I had with this film was when they made Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci look younger using editing, it was pretty obvious that special effects were used. Other than that the editing and special effects used in the film are great, like when Frank and the Teamsters blow up a parking lot full of taxi cabs.
This movie isn't for everyone, it's rated R for a reason. It's gruesome and vulgar, but I think it makes the movie more real. The makeup and costumes used are accurate, and when someone gets shot all the gore and blood look real, which is necessary for any movie about the mob. The other negative aspect of this movie is the 3 hour and 30 minute run time, which caused me to have to finish it in two sittings. I don't mind it being long because of how interesting and immersive the film is, but most people aren't able to sit through a movie that long. Scorsese doesn't spare any expense when it comes to detail too, like when he includes the build up to different jobs Frank does. The viewer gets to know each character, like who they're friends with, who they work for, and how they die/go to prison. The plotline is easy to follow even though it jumps around to different events in Frank's life. Robert De Niro narrates throughout the movie so the viewer doesn't get confused which is very helpful, and makes the plot very easy to follow.
After watching The Irishman I was so intrigued that I started researching more, and even started reading the book that the movie is loosely based off of "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt. I strongly encourage anyone who wants to sit through a 3 hour and 30 minute movie to watch this masterpiece by Martin Scorsese.