The Perfect Encore

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2019)

We can not begin this review by focusing on the previous exemplary performances by everyone involved in past cultivations of brilliance. That would be too easy.
I will try my best to explain, and perhaps illuminate the magic that Scorsese has truly grasped in this wonderfully adapted biopic, without spoilers due to the fact that this is still under limited viewings, and will not be streamable for another 5 days.
The fact of the matter is, this film is literally the pinnacle of mafioso, 35mm, fable over action story telling that we may never see again. Scratch that, one of the best films that we will ever experience with the direction film making is going in the next 20 years.
If there is one thing about Scorsese, it is his amazing attention and experiences with the nuances that make all of us click or indulge, not just in the movie, but also adapt to the lifestyle and story that all films hope to pull you into. Scorsese does this trick with absolute ease and magic, like he doesn't even try, like you never had a chance in hell to be able to escape his grip, a tidal wave in a swimming pool, an Italian carving his way into the American dream.
This film has it all. If you've seen Goodfellas specifically, or any of his previous work you already know what I mean. The scores playing in the distance, the silverware clattering on fine china, the density of the wine being poured in real crystal. It is all there and then some.
Cleverly titled The Irishman, surprisingly it's only about one, or two Irishman who was in an Italian landscape in some of the greatest turmoiled times that America has experienced covering many decades. With that being said, a movie for many generations.
My fiancé who is a first generation Italian couldn't believe the language, the accents, the body language that was displayed in a film that could never be anything except a Scorsese masterpiece. I felt the exact same way, even when she was the only person in the cinema who understood some scenes, and me being Irish, some of the smaller forgettable ones.
This film tackled the family dynamic of a toxic situation, of a war veteran who had an unspeakable skill set, and the absolute sorrows that will follow an undesirable life that so many of us may follow based on decisions that we have no internal control over. I doubt the validity of the direction, as I have read "I Heard You Paint Houses?" as a teenager, but this didn't matter.
You will be lost, unsure who to vote for, it tackles serious political issues that are still a mystery in the public's conscience. All the while dancing with your emotions of what is right and wrong.
The ending, felt like a eulogy for this form of brilliance and story telling, which I'm not sure was the hardest part. Or was it the realization that this is the top of the mountain performance, that I've seen come out of all involved?
Again, I am completely torn and lost. Time will tell, and that is what this film will leave you with. The realization of time, the bewilderment that cinematic nuances can make you feel like it all slipped away. This ending left me wondering if this was also a climatic approach for Scorsese, Pesci, De Niro, or Pacino finalizing their place in this world with their greatness. I really hope not, because just like the characters involved: time waits for no man, and with that eventually, our legends are all erasable no matter how much good or bad we end up living with. Time will leave all of us empty handed.
Leaving the film with that, I almost would have preferred a snub .32 as soon as I stood up.