The Irishman

I watched The Irishman on Netflix. It was originally released in the theaters for a couple of weeks before being available on Netflix. I'm glad I waited to watch it at home. The movie is about 3½ hours long. A movie that long requires a pause button for kitchen and bathroom breaks, not to mention a stretch or two. 

No surprise that the cast was good. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel play guys in or involved with the mob. It is directed by Martin Scorsese. I think those guys have some experience with this genre.

The movie is the story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a WWII veteran who is a Teamster and generally shady character who does some low-level jobs for some Philadelphia mob guys. He comes to the attention of Russell Bufalino (Pesci), one of the mob bosses in Philly. Although Sheeran is Irish, he speaks Italian and they hit it off. Sheeran becomes a confidant, enforcer, and hitman for Bufalino who introduces him to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Sheeran does some dirty work in Detroit for Hoffa and they become fast friends too. 

Sheeran continues to work for Bufalino and at the same time rises in the Teamster union ranks thanks to Hoffa. He becomes one of the main conduits between Hoffa and the mob. Sometimes working for Hoffa and the union and sometimes working for Bufalino and the mob. Eventually, those two factions get sideways with each other. What will Frank do?

This is one of those time-shifting movies. It is Frank as an old man in a nursing home remembering his past. Scorsese chose to use CGI tricks to depict the players as younger men. This was done instead of hiring different actors to play the younger years. For the most part, the CGI young De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci were believable. There were a few scenes when one or more of the actors' makeup/CGI was a little off. I'm not sure if they used CGI or just makeup for the guys when they got old. Most of the main actors are already in their 70s so making them old is less of a stretch. 

The flashbacks were sometimes confusing as to exactly when they took place. It also made it harder to sort out all the relationships, especially for the peripheral characters. For those of us who were around in the '50s, '60s, and '70s it is fun to see the old cars and other signs of the time. Remember Stuckey's and Howard Johnson's? They did a good job recreating the times. There were also some good tunes in the soundtrack.  

This movie is far from the best work for any of the leads. Still, 75% to 80% of De Niro or Pacino is pretty good.

If you subscribe to Netflix, watching this movie is a no brainer. It's a theater-quality production. The 3½ length also makes home viewing the right choice. 

I'm going to rate this movie a B+. Everybody in it has done better work and it is a little disjointed at times. Definitely worth a look though. 

wjh