Another Great Scorsese

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2020)

With a venerable lineup of crime dramas under his belt, Martin Scorsese produces a film that he has wanted to for a decade; The Irishman. It's based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses, which follows the life of Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who ends up with the South Philadelphia mob, and then eventually with famed teamster Jimmy Hoffa. Robert de Niro, Scorsese's most frequent collaborator, plays the role of Sheeran. Joe Pesci, another frequent face, is in as Russell Bufalino, head of a Pennsylvania based mob family. Al Pacino, famous for his role in The Godfather films, returns to crime dramas and plays the role of Jimmy Hoffa. All three performances are good in their own right, even if they are thrown off by external circumstances.
For those who have seen Goodfellas, there's actually quite a bit of overlap in terms of the way the film is structured. Both have the main character serve a double role as narrator, both follow the life of this character over the decades, and they are similarly edited. With Sheeran also the narrator, it feels almost like a documentary, especially as the country changes and the mob and teamsters with it. The film's editing is also very good, considering how much is packed into the staggering runtime. The main difference with Goodfellas is that The Irishman is told from an elderly Sheeran, a mobster whose life is behind him. The ending of the movie is surprisingly emotional, seeing just how much of a toll that life took on him and how everyone around him got hurt.
We all know from history that Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, and that his body was never found. That being said, it's still surprising when it happens. While the way it happens in this movie may or may not be how it actually went down, it is very impressive that the movie can take the one thing that we know is going to happen and make it one of its biggest surprises.
Another thing that drew people's attention was the de-aging tech used in the movie, which had previously been used in Rogue One and other blockbusters. It doesn't work in this movie. De Niro and Pesci are in their 70s, and Pacino is 80. While CGI can make them look younger again when they are still, no amount of CGI can change the fact that they move like they're 80. Even on a small screen, it's obvious that someone way older than the character is playing them.
One thing must be addressed: the runtime. It's 3 hours, 29 minutes. It's over an hour longer than Goodfellas. Given that it is a Netflix production, it can be watched at any time with any pauses you want. Most of the people who watched this movie did it in multiple sessions, which is reasonable given the runtime. However, this movie is best watched in one go. If you have 3 hours and 29 minutes to watch it, do it. It is best watched in one sitting. It is still acceptable in multiple viewings, and there are guides online with timestamps on when to stop. Netflix also has a 23-minute featurette called The Irishman in Conversation, where Scorsese, de Niro, Pesci, and Pacino talk about the movie. It's recommended for fans of the movie, and it is kind of nice to see them just casually talking about the movie.