This past October I wrote a post on the scrutinizing comments Martin Scorsese had on Marvel films and how he felt they didn’t have a place in cinema. Well,I still stand behind my defense of Marvel films being in their lane within cinema, even though they may lack the traditional qualities older generation filmmakers like him are accustomed to, but that isn’t the point of this post. I brought this up as my opening statement because I just watched Martin Scorsese latest film titled “The Irishman” and it did not disappoint. Matter of fact, it fulfilled the eagerness and expectations I had before even watching the film in full length. This was due to my exposure to the captivating trailer and coming across a novel about the book at a Barnes and Noble. Additionally, after watching Scorsese’s classics with Robert De Niro I couldn’t past this one up. In regards to that, this film has a lineup of three powerhouse actors; Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. Oh, and since I forgot to mention this, the movie is on Netflix so if you do have it and next time you’re scrolling through to figure out what to watch, don’t pass up this gem which I believe will receive some award nominations. With that said, onto my takes on the film and brief overview of the premise. To begin, Robert De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, who narrates his days as a truck driver to eventually becoming involved with Russell Buffalino/Buffalino organized crime family in Pennsylvania. As the movie progresses Sheeran is promoted through the ranks as a hitman and his “hard” work pays off, which subsequently gets him with the opportunity to begin working for Jimmy Hoffa as a labor union member. Yes, you read that right Jimmy Hoffa the man whose whereabouts have been questioned for over three decades, but he is certainly dead by now. He begins doing any dirty work that needs to be done on behalf of the family, while simultaneously being a supporter/friend to Jimmy Hoffa, who began having rifts with the Kennedy family. All his tirades towards Robert F. Kennedy who was named Attorney General eventually landed him in prison for Jury tampering. The catalyst that put Hoffa behind bars was a campaign called the “Get Hoffa Squad”. Furthermore, Al Pacino’s who plays Jimmy Hoffa has an illustrious career and so do the other lead actors, but his performance, in my opinion, stood out the most due to character always being hostile and the build-up to his anger and annoyance with other mob members was fascinating to watch. I found it interesting seeing a mellow Joe Pesci who was Mr. Fuck you in films like Goodfellas and Casino and now Al Pacino is the one who is always on the edge of anger but his character lacks the charisma and charm Pesci’s character Tommy DeVito had in Goodfellas. This is a slight spoil, but Jimmy Hoffa in the film and I’m assuming in real life was all about punctuality, and there are multiple times he displays disdains towards tardiness which I found amusing. Equally important, I found the atmosphere surrounding the characters filled with melancholy and unease even when they were spending time with their families. The direction of the film is typical of a Martin Scorsese film and if you’re familiar with his classics you’ll see the similarity in the way scenes were shot, in terms of angles, scene lighting, zoom in/zoom outs. Moreover, people will compare this film to his classics that I’ve mentioned, but to me, it doesn’t have any lasting impressions that I can remember after watching. In other words, the film won’t carry any nostalgia, but it’s still a good film even though it runs for 209 minutes. Anyways, that’s all I have to say, leave a like and comment if you also saw the film or any have thoughts in general. Follow my page so you can stay up to date with my future posts, and as always peace and keep it real.
My rating for the film : 4/5
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