The Irishman (2019)

The Irishman was a film I had been waiting for for over a year, and let me tell you, the wait was worth it. I stayed up until 3 in the morning waiting for this film to come out on Netflix and I spent a long time watching it. I wasn’t disappointed. It was released 3 days ago and it is directed by the one and only Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directors of all time. It stars some of his legends Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel. As well as Al Pacino, his first time working with Scorsese, surprisingly. It tells the story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a mob hitman, and his friendship with Teamster president, Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). It starts with a one-take tracking shot that goes through a nursing home before stopping at the elderly Sheeran, who begins his story. Starting with his road trip to a wedding with his friend, Russell Bufalino (Pesci), then going back to his humble beginnings, before ending with present day. His main story he tells is his involvement in Jimmy Hoffa’s still-unsolved disappearance. It’s quite a film and it definitely sits with Scorsese’s best. The only letdown with this film is the de-aging CGI in the film. There were times where it was plain obvious that the actors were de-aged, the CGI was not as good as claimed. Still, it was good enough. Someone once said that he made a great film in each decade, Taxi Driver in the 1970s, Raging Bull in the 1980s, Goodfellas in the 1990s, and The Departed in the 2000s. Now they can add The Irishman to the 2010s. It’s a must-see for Scorsese fans, don’t let the 3 and a half hour running time drive you away, it’s worth it! I rate this film EXCEPTIONAL on the scale.