Horrifically Enthralling

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2019)

This movie was a different animal then Scorsese's other gangster films. Something about it was disturbing that after viewing I still can't quite put my finger on. It's hard and not really fair to compare Irishman right away to Goodfellas and Casino, which I've seen a hundred times each. I will say that after subsequent viewings, that even if I don't like it better then those two films, the Irishman is better then The Departed, Mean Streets, and Gangs of New York imo.
During the Wolf of Wall Street (which I don't count as a real gangster film as great as it was), I kept checking my watch because I was having such a good time I didn't want it to end. The Irishman took on a different form of enjoyment where I never once looked at the time because I was so absorbed with what I was watching. The first hour reminded me of Goodfellas, the second hour kind of reminded me of Gangs of New York because of Scorsese giving us another history lesson about America's underbelly, and the last part of the film reminded me a bit of Casino with an undertone that felt to me like a horror movie. Even though we know what's coming to Hoffa, it doesn't make it any less disturbing to watch when we see it.
I never watched any of Scorsese's religious movies like Silence so I can't give an opinion about comparing the ending of the Irishman to the tone of those films. I'll just say I felt like I was attending a bittersweet funeral at the end.
Enough has already been said about how great the actors were so I'll just end my review by stating that Stephan Graham was another standout besides the other three main stars. He more then held his own and brought an eclectic, elictrifying mix of comedy and toughness to the story. An excellent villain in a movie full of bad guys.
I hope others enjoy the movie as much as I had. It was great for nostagilia to see these powerful movers and shakers, from my grandfather's WWII era, brought to life.