Good but weak for Scorsese

Rating: 7/10 (3 December 2019)

An elderly Mob hitman (De Niro) recalls the people he knew (Pesci, Pacino) and the decisions he took which defined him.
I think knowing a bit about the subject matter might have helped with this movie. Scorsese takes for granted the fact his audience know what's gradually unfolding. I didn't and although it's coherent and well scripted, it's lacking tension and, in the first half, a sense of direction. I suspect on subsequent viewings it will come together more nicely.
Whilst not on the same level as Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street or Taxi Driver, it's still a decent film but its length does it no favours.
The main negatives, aside from the running time, are the awful use of CG to make the cast younger and the cartoonish blood effects when people are shot. The choice to use ageing actors and youngify them rather than young ones, with prosthetic make up, proves a bit odd looking.
It's a good movie but one of Scorsese's weaker ones.