THE IRISHMAN REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

While its 209 minute runtime may prevent people from watching it, Martin Scorsese's latest feature, The Irishman, is worth watching for his directing and the strong performances from Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. 

This biographical crime thriller follows Frank Sheeran (De Niro) as he recalls his past years working for the Bufalino crime family. Now older, the World War II veteran once again reflects on his most prolific hits and, in particular, considers his involvement with his good friend Jimmy Hoffa's (Pacino) disappearance in 1975.

At the time of writing this review, The Irishman has received an impressive ten nominations at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese and Best Supporting Actor for both Pacino and Pesci. It's not surprising that it's received so many nominations as it's the type of film that gets recognised by the Academy, an epic drama that tells an original and compelling story and features stand out performances from a cast of talented actors and great work from one of the best filmmakers. While it's tough to say what awards it will win on the night of the Oscars, I can't imagine The Irishman walking away empty handed. 

The stand out aspect of The Irishman are the performances delivered by De Niro, Pacino and Pesci. As Sheeran, De Niro delivers one of his best dramatic performances in recent years. The story is told from his character's point of view and is given the most background. With this role, De Niro proves that he's at his best when he's working with his friend, Scorsese. The Irishman marks the first time the two have worked on a feature-length film since Casino which was released in 1995. It may be hard to believe but The Irishman also marks the first time that Pacino and Scorsese have worked together. As Hoffa, Pacino delivers an unforgettable portrayal and, as expected, dominates every scene he's in. Pesci is best known for his role in Scorsese's film, Goodfellas, which was released in 1990 and earned him his first Oscar. In The Irishman, Pesci reunites with the director and leaves a lasting impression with his portrayal of Russell Bufalino. It's difficult to say whether Pacino or Pesci will win an Oscar, however, I think that the winner will most likely be Brad Pitt for his supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as he's won at previous award shows including the Golden Globes.

The Irishman showcases Scorsese at his best, creating a compelling crime-based drama that, despite its three and a half hour runtime, rarely loses its viewers' attention. The Irishman marks the first time the director has created a film for the streaming service, Netflix, however, I think that the film is better suited to home viewing, where the pause button is available for those who find it difficult to watch long films in one sitting. Although I've only seen a few of Scorsese's most recent features, including The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and Hugo, I can understand why he’s considered to be one of the best filmmakers. The Irishman has encouraged me to watch Scorsese's previous features, including Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and The Wolf of Wall Street, which have been described as his best work. 

An issue for some people may be the 209 minute runtime, however, I can understand why the length of The Irishman is so long as the story can't be told in under two and a half hours. The story focuses on an elderly Sheeran looking back on his life, with the majority of the film taking place in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Scorsese succeeds in keeping the viewer’s attention. The characters are all interesting individuals and the story covers important events from the past, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This event is shown from the point of view of Sheeran and Hoffa, who hear about the news on the television. The news of Kennedy’s death shocks everyone in the room, including Hoffa who, for once, is speechless. 

The story for The Irishman is based on Charles Brandt's book, I Heard You Paint Houses, which is a mob term for killing people, the paint being the blood  that splatters when bullets are fired into a body. The book was first published in 2004 and contains 71 pages of backmatter largely detailing independent corrobation of Sheeran's confessions. While a lot of films take roughly two years to make, The Irishman has been in production since 2009 when Brandt received a phone call from De Niro. This lead to a meeting a month later between the two of them, Scorsese and screenwriter, Steven Zaillian. Getting Brandt's book made into a film wasn't an easy process. Because the story for The Irishman is based on real people and events, De Niro has had to defend the writing process and stated that they're not telling the "actual" story. While The Irishman includes scenes that imply what happened to Hoffa, Scorsese isn't saying that this is what happened as no one knows for sure.

While The Irishman explores aspects of Sheeran's life, including his job, I felt that it didn't explore his relationship with his daughter, Peggy (Anna Paquin), enough for it to have an emotional impact. With its long runtime, I do feel like Scorsese could've spent more time focusing on the relationship between Sheeran and Peggy. An issue with The Irishman is that it lacks strong female roles, with actresses such as Kathrine Narducci and Aleksa Palladino filling out the "faithful wife" parts. Paquin is a talented actress, unfortunately, she is underused. 

Although I was apprehensive about The Irishman prior to watching it, mainly because of its lengthy runrime, Martin Scorsese's latest feature beat my expectations and proved to be an engaging crime-based drama with strong performances from Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

8/10