Imperfect but compelling - more like "Raging Bull" than "Goodfellas"

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2019)

First the imperfect;
CGI was a little distracting at first, but I got used to it as I settled in to the story. It was mostly with Deniro's character, and that had to do with the fact that they "made his brown eyes blue". It did make him look Irish, especially when he was looking off in the distance. I felt like I was looking at my immigrant grandfather at times.
The beating - apparently some people couldn't get past this, and I'll concede that it was bad. But come on- you really stopped watching the movie for that? It was thankfully brief, but I'm not sure why they left it in the film. I suspect indulgence from somewhere.
On to the compelling;
Joe Pesci - Brilliant, understated portray of the kindly uncle/ruthless gangster Russ Bufalino - maybe his best work to date. A simple line like, "There's been a change", delivered so offhandedly but with the gravest of implications, is simply chilling.
Al Pacino - Best performance since "Glengarry Glen Ross". I hate to keep using the word "understated", but that is a very relative term for a guy who has been accused of overacting at times. He portrayed both Hoffa's insecurity and hubris with equal aplomb, and he made him sympathetic. I know what's going to happen, you know what's going to happen, everyone knows what's going to happen, except Jimmy. Pacino made you just want to reach across the screen and shake some sense into him.
Speaking of which, Robert Deniro;
I can't decide which character he had better chemistry with, Jimmy or Russ, and I don't think it really matters - it was just a real treat to watch. He was a good, loyal soldier from start to finish, caught up in the conflict between two juggernauts, and despite the genuine love and resulting equity he had built up with both Russ and Jimmy, found himself powerless to change minds or events.
He really was the glue that held this movie together.
Good performances, if limited, by Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jesse Plemons, and Stephen Graham. Kind of fun to see Welker White (Lois from "Goodfellas"), too.
Loved the historical context as well, with snippets portraying Kennedy's assassination, Nixon's downfall, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, etc. It was like a ride in a time machine.