Scorsese epic on Hoffa is well-crafted but very, very long, likely praised out of sentimentality

Rating: 7/10 (17 November 2019)

The long-awaited Scorsese film on Frank Sheeran, the man closest to Jimmy Hoffa, is brilliantly acted by De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and an exemplary supporting lineup that includes Keitel, Romano, Cannavale and Anna Paquin, whom I haven't seen in a movie in nearly two decades. It also boasts extraordinary period detail, masterfully recreating an America that spans the 1950s to the mid-1970s. And the final chapter of the film is quietly menacing. The total absence of a soundtrack in this part of the film makes for an almost unbearable sense of dread.
What prevents this film from reaching greatness? In short, the film's vast, interminable running time. Some supporting characters seemingly disappear for an eternity in this film as their presence is dwarfed and sometimes completely forgotten on account of the film's never-ending trudge to its haunting conclusion. The film has a ghost-of-glories-past feel to it, with Scorsese's heaviest hitters all teaming up to make one last big mark. That might be the main reason it has been so overwhelmingly acclaimed.
There's no denying the craft at work here. Unfortunately, Scorsese's long-time editor, Thelma Schoonmaker did not cut nearly enough to render the tightest film possible and instead the final product is a lumbering behemoth of a film that, although very good, more than likely could have been even better. Recommended to viewers with enough stamina.