Overhyped and too long

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2019)

Like a faded memory of Casino and Goodfellas, The Irishman covers the same ground in a similar vein (longer and slower) and doesn't add anything new. There are some entertaining exchanges and lines, some interesting scenes and moments, visuals and editing, but half-way through, the film becomes really boring and repetitive. If you've seen your Coppola and Scorsese mafia flicks before, you've seen it all. Yes, the CGI doesn't really work, but that's not even the main issue with the film. The exploration of loyalty, friendship, family, etc. has been done in so many of these films - I kept thinking about the scene between De Niro and Ray Liotta in the diner and Liotta's Voice Over in Goodfellas, which basically sums it all up. In the end I was utterly exhausted by the Irishman's overlong resolution and denouement, which again, didn't add anything new or noteworthy to the genre.