A riveting ride through history led by three masters of their craft.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2020)

The Irishman steps away from modern cinema, and takes us back to the glory days of Hollywood, with legendary performances by De Niro, Pesci and Pacino which we've become so accustomed to. Scorsese' trademark style is evident throughout the film providing us with the old school gangster feel which he has so elegantly mastered throughout his career. All this being said, it was crucial for Scorsese to find a script worthy of harbouring some of the greatest actors of our time, and it was easy to look no further than the astounding life story of Frank Sheeran 'The Irishman'. One reason as to why this film was so special without even commenting upon the stellar acting, screenplay and music, is the way the Irishman dives deep into American history, seemingly exploiting some of Americas best kept secrets. As an avid fan of history and politics, I found myself blown away by some of hidden complexities involved in some of Americas most notorious historical moments, The Irishman goes deep into the exploits of Jimmy Hoffa and his mysterious disappearance on July 30th 1975, the election of Kennedy, The Bay Of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis, exploring all these topics from the view of the mob and the impact they had upon all of them.
Although Hollywood has tackled all these topics before, what elevates The Irishman to another level is the impeccable acting by the legendary cast Scorsese was able to assemble. I can honestly say it was a pleasure watching three iconic actors share the screen and deliver masterful performances whilst being expertly supported by the rest of the cast which did not lack masterful actors in itself. Even though all the acting was done impeccably by every cast member, it was Joe Pesci who stole the show starring as Russel Buffalino, an Italian-born American mobster who became the crime boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family known as the Bufalino crime family. We've all grown to love Pesci as the wild and erratic little man as portrayed in films such as Casino and Goodfellas, his characters have always wore their heart on their sleeves and always made rash violent decisions. The Irishman sees Pesci completely step away from that dynamic, he captivates the audience with a calm, collected and controlling demeanour throughout the film, a true Wise-guy. Someone who inspires fear without the threat of violence, but through respect and authority. As stated in the film: "All roads lead back to Russ". Pesci put his stamp on every scene he was in and gave a performance which will truly cement his legacy as one of the greatest actors of all time.
Even though The Irishman has multiple layers, themes and storylines, the one which truly captivated me was the testing loyalty and betrayal thrust upon Sheeran whilst working for both Hoffa and Russ. Two characters who were his mentors and who he respected and adored more than anyone else. This was highlighted right at the start of the film, although not evident at that particular time. Sheeran removes a watch from his wrist given to him by Hoffa and a ring given by Russel. This symbolises his allegiance to both men early on and for the rest of the film we see his relationship with both men grow, and his struggles to contain the growing tension between Hoffa and Russ (The Mob). The revolutionary age altering technology only allowed the actors to add different layers to their characters and allowed them to develop in way that could have never been done before. Although the Film is very long in its nature and the last 40 minutes do seem to drag out, it is essential to be able to explore Sheerans outlook on the events, the ending shows how Frank reflecting on all the events that have happened, and gives you the an outlook on life from a cold blooded mobster.
The Irishman is a farewell for most of these legends, a love letter to the genre, and the last of its kind, which goes out exactly how Scorsese wanted it: in true mobster style.