pointlessly long rehashing of ugly organized crime with great actors, see it on Netflix

Rating: 5/10 (16 November 2019)

First, the Hoffa story here does not comport with reality, after his prison term, he was washed up as an active leader, this pissed him off, he got increasingly crazy and threatening to the mob bosses. He was finally taken out and we don't really know what happened, see "living in Hoffa's Shadow" by O'brien. More to the point, although composed of a great many wonderful scenes, it didn't cohere as a movie, a particularly long movie. Much better to see it on Netflix, treat it like a limited series. Sure, we get to see Deniro and Pacino and Petchi, and others act together, but it's mostly the equivalent of sketch drama. Petchi and Deniro talking about "it is what it is" Pacino in front of the union crowds. Awesome, but not 3.5 hours awesome. Many of the professional reviews extolling the Irishman are mostly nostalgic about some great mafia movie past, per Scorcese and Coppola, but really? do we need yet another lovingly recreated long form treatment of these essentially heinous people doing heinous things. On top of it, these people are simply ugly, inside and out, driving shiny vintage cars. Hoffa and the others helped to betray and corrupt the union movement in the US, making it easy to vilify unions generally, hell the Kennedy's hated unions because of corrupt creeps like Hoffa. Maybe an indepth story investigating this angle would be intriguing. On top of this, the movie itself was simply confusing, the killing of Hoffa, which NO ONE officially has any idea of, was treated in a very confused manner, the step son was driving the car that takes Deniro to the hit on his father, what of this step son. Anyway, this really doesn't matter, it's a worthy Netflix viewing over 3-4 nights. And yes, they're are many Oscar worthy performances in the movie, probably too many, but on Netflix you can rerun these moments to your hearts content.