A solid crime movie, skilfully put together, but temper your expectations somewhat...

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2019)

In Australia this movie had no official theatrical run, essentially going straight to Netflix, and that is where I was able to catch this one. As far as I'm concerned, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise - with a 209 minute run-time; I enjoyed it over two evenings... With an amazing cast and Scorsese at the helm, I've been anticipating this one for a while, and I went in with my expectations high. I wasn't disappointed because the story was good, there were strong performances from all the familiar faces, and it was constructed and told quite well. De Niro leads as the eponymous 'Irishman' Frank Sheeran, and the tale is told from his perspective as an interview with flashback sequences varying in their depth. A chance encounter with middle-management level mob boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci), leads Sheeran away from his conman trucker existence. His clear ruthless strength, wise guy cunning and apparent loyalty, sees him climbing the pyramid within the underworld. These qualities eventually come to see him positioned close to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), and he quickly establishes himself as his right-hand man.
Major spoilers' aside - the main narrative revolves around the political machinations between the mafia, the unions, and the blurred criminal world in which they both operate. Scorsese's influence on the book and screenplay is most obvious in the intense scenes involving Sheeran/Bufalino, Sheeran/Hoffa, and a couple of crack encounters between Hoffa and rival union boss Anthony 'Tony Pro' Provenzano (portrayed by Stephen Graham). I was reminded of the quote attributed to Vince Lombardi, which when paraphrased basically says: "We will attempt to achieve perfection, knowing that it is impossible to do so, but in the process we might catch excellence". And in a nutshell this is what I believe was Scorsese's primary method and objective with his main actors. He devotes a large chunk of screen time to these encounters, and powerful actors, trying to catch lightning but more than willing to settle for their best efforts... Did he succeed? Well that in my opinion is where you'll have to temper your expectations. Overall, this is a very good crime movie. Not a classic or career-defining work by Scorsese, as I've read suggested from others. De Niro returns to fine form, even by his lofty standards. However, the standout performances for mine come from Pesci and Graham. In many ways Pesci here is as powerful as he was in 'Goodfellas', yet in very different role.