The Pensioners

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2019)

Bravo to Joe Pesci for being persuaded to come out of retirement for Martin Martin Scorsese's soon to be, new classic 'The Irishman'.
Like many, I feared a bore-fest with a run time of 210 minutes and my goodness is this film long. And yet, it plays out like a good book - it's so fascinating at times that you just can't put it down. Scorsese has this unique ability to make a compelling film which could quite easily drift into a world of self-indulgence, and yet The Irishman never falls into this trap. Pesci is brilliant from the start, De Niro's star shines brightly again after several dubious outings and Pacino, as an often 'camp' Jimmy Hoffa, is a revelation.
My only criticism of the film (and it's a tiny one) is that because the three actors are all in their 70s and the film delivers a series of flashbacks, CGI was used to make them look younger. Particularly in De Niro's case, he did look rather odd to me at times. A mob hit or a beating had the look of being perpetrated by a pensioner with a youthful face. But this minor detail which to be fair, was unavoidable, should not detract from the acting masterclasses on show here. With a stellar cast including Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano and Stephen Graham, the master of the mob genre is back with a bang.
A big thank you to Netflix too - the big picture studios didn't fancy this one as it was considered a risk. It is apparent that an appetite for risk-taking is now being adopted by the new kids on the block and thank god they did.
I look forward to Pesci receiving his Oscar for best, supporting actor next time around. He delivered a masterclass and his regular presence on the silver screen is sadly missed.