A new take on a classic tale

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2019)

Yes, this film is probably too long. Yes, this film is also well done and worth your time. Both of those things can be true simultaneously. When I heard Scorsese was revisiting the gangster genre, I did wonder, "Again? What else is there to say?" Good news: there was, in fact, more to say. This movie is less about the rush of rising in the ranks and more about the utter isolation that is left when it is over. While I found some of the "de-aging" effects distracting, every single performance was masterful, and this movie is a perfect epilogue to previous gangster stories. When the lights fade and the violence stops, we are all left to reconcile - with ourselves, with our families, with our morality. What this film lacked in epic tracking shots or peak moments, it made up for with new perspectives on old stories.