A lot of Idiots in This Review Section

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2019)

Spoiler alert! This is not Goodfellas. Anybody who went into watching this film anticipating that it would behold any similarities to Goodfellas was setting themselves up for disappointment. To refer to this movie as anything lesser than great is disrespectful, and demonstrates an utter intellectual inability to recognize story depth. If you are looking for easy and mindless entertainment, don't bother watching this film: it is laced with methodical story telling, prolonged character development, and various deeper meanings. This movie was not to reminisce previous Scorsese "Mob Movies". This movie was intended to stand on its own. The story may not contain a similar amount of action when compared to his previous works; however, his ability to embed deeper meaning within a biographical piece is remarkable.
the movie is slow and methodical in portraying the life story of Frank Sheeran. While Goodfellas focused primarily on the chaotic lifestyles of mobster, The Irishman focuses on how this lifestyle can destroy relationships, ruin lives, and precipitate nothing but sorrow for those involved once they reach old age. This cannot only be applied to those characters in the movie, but also to people in general. Frank Sheeran personifies an individual that gradually coaxes through life obeying what others tell him do, which ultimately leaves him miserable and dying with nothing but notoriety and regret. His relationship with Hoffa represents morality and the person he desperately wishes he was, while his relationship with Russ represents the person he currently is and will have to deal with the consequences of. In my strong opinion, this movie not only entertainingly portrays the unfamiliar story of Frank Sheeran and Jimmy Hoffa, but also serves to provide an introspection on life.
Al Pacino and Joe Pesci deliver brilliant performances, as they both masterfully compliment De Niro's quiet-spoken approach.