So much more than another 'mob movie'

Rating: 10/10 (1 December 2019)

Only a person who has seen the relentless march of time could tell this story this well.
The performances were as good or better than you'd expect. Loose and spontaneous, like watching someone's life, unscripted, in real time. Perfectly framed and directed unobtrusively.
The highs were high and the lows were low. Building towards something that you knew was coming but wished could be avoided at all costs. The pit in my stomach grew and you could see it on Deniro's face the whole time.
Just when I thought it was over, we discover a new enemy. An unbeatable enemy in time. The last part of this movie was gut wrenching. As hard as it was to watch, I don't think it could have been put together or acted out any more perfectly.
This movie told a lot of stories and packed in a lot of history and was entertaining throughout, but the story it weaves in the background and eventually pushes towards centre stage in the end was a classic tale of our own failures and frailty.
Bravo.