What a powerfully moving story Martin Scorsese has told with The Irishman, a film about the guy who confessed to finally offing Jimmy Hoffa after their long friendship and various dirty dealings with unions and the mob. There are two things a lot of people are going to want to know about the film – the first is, what about the CGI? How weird is it? And the second, does it matter?
The answer to the first is that it feels a bit odd to the synapse between the human eye and mind, no doubt about it. Actors has always played around with age makeup but they can’t make themselves look younger, only older. Thus, in lieu of that, directors often hire younger actors to play the older actors young, like Robert De Niro as the young Vito Corleone that Marlon Brando portrayed as Don Corleone. But Scorsese, and other directors, have probably always wondered – what if you could get the same actors to play both young and old, even after the actors are older?
The result Scorsese achieves is interesting. It doesn’t interfere with enjoying the movie and it’s certainly not a reason to avoid the movie – it is just an aspect of the movie’s creative choices. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino are such good actors they are more than able to carry through the various eras the hearts and souls of the people they’ve brought to live consistently throughout the movie’s almost three hours.
The Irishman, like Ford v. Ferrari and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a BIG HOLLYWOOD MOVIE – only this time, the new kid on the block is Netflix. With this film they are not joining the ranks of the arthouse indies (as they did last year with Roma), but they now endeavor to stand eye to eye with the five major studio families that have controlled Hollywood’s history for nearly a century. Netflix has come in big with The Irishman – a massive cast, all meticulously costumed through different decades, a script by Steve Zaillian, along with Scorsese’s collaborating editor, the great Thelma Schoonmaker. The film spans the years between World War II, up through the ’70s, and continues to modern times. The filmmakers frame the story this way because they’re telling the story of a whole life, not just a part of it.
De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, who embeds himself into the underworld, mentored by Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) who introduces him to the explosive, irascible Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). For much of the film we watch Sheeran “do guys” in encounters that are destined to end abruptly. But along the way he’s building significant friendships, and as with all things mafia, you never really know who your friends are and who’s gonna blow you up in your car or shoot you in the head.
What is so beautiful about this story is how it contemplates the end of a man’s life who moved through the lives of others as death personified, and does so with such finesse and empathy. It asks the question, how do you measure your life’s worth? What matters in the end? Mob movies almost always arrive at the same answer, whether it’s Godfather I and II, Goodfellas, Casino or now, The Irishman.
Scorsese’s own origin story as a filmmaker is famously infused with Catholicism since his early days, and he found a way to address those teachings by making films that dwell on the darker side of humanity – bloody, violent films with characters that abuse, murder and torture victims. Scorsese, in his own way, is examining his own life’s work by the end of this film as we see an old man looking back on decades of havoc.
But if you follow Scorsese on Instagram, you’ll see this is a man surrounded by friends and family, a man who’s admired worldwide. His legacy will never be reduced to the murder and mayhem he has delivered unto the world, but rather, the exceptional hand of a gifted master whose mind’s eye views movies in ways that no other mind can see.
When you see a Scorsese movie you know it’s his, because no one else – unless they’re copying him – makes movies like that. But Scorsese does something in this film he’s never done before. He utilizes the strength of silence in places where he would more typically fill the void with touchstone rock songs. Those signature songs turn up a few times, but more often it’s silence that serves to deliver mood, and the result is chilling. Like a few other notable films that rely on the tension created by silence – Hitchcock’s The Birds, The Coens’ No Country for Old Men – The Irishman follows the emotional journey of its main character without the aid of music cues to influence our feelings. We are left to quietly observe Sheeran, and await whatever surprise might happen next.
For all the risks that the groundbreaking de-aging technology involves, The Irishman is very much, at its heart, a traditional American film. It doesn’t need to move rapid-fire like so many of Scorsese’s movies do, because here he’s going for a slow coil. So that by the end of the lifetime that the movie unspools, we too are taking one last long look at all that came before – with Scorsese, with the mafia, and within ourselves.
The Irishman is one of the best films of the year.
Julia : The F- word is used in Goodfellas 300 times. It’s used 237 times In The Departed , 422 times in Casino and 569 times in Wolf of Wall Street.
I have never understand Mr. Scorsese’s films, the only one I liked was “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”. He seem to like and adore violence. Also Joe Pesci plays that same role again and again. How many times F-word was said in “Goodfellas” and people said what a masterpiece, really? Will I watch his new “masterpiece”, no thank you.
So the amount of f-words said in a film is inversely varied to the quality of the film? That’s an interesting theory about how to define good cinema
How does this apply to the excellent “The Age of Innocence,” “Silence,” “The Aviator,” etc?
Plenty of Scorsese films have little to no violence or profanity – The Age of Innocence, Silence, The Aviator and don’t forget the family friendly Hugo.
Will lead the field with 10 to 11 noms
Critics call it a masterpiece. Meltdowns when Jojo sweeps are going to be epic.
Ryan: I’m sorry I have become a heretic in the holy church of Scorsese. There was time when he was one of my favorite filmmakers. Sascha said in her article that when you see a Scorsese movie you know it’s his . That’s the problem he never lets you forget you are watching a Marin Scorsese movie. You actually think that having a dissenting opinion makes a cool independent rebel that I don’t really believe what I say. Also I did not write that slant article other people have said similar things . It’s always bothered me when filmmakers play fast and loose with the facts. As for Heaven’s Gate it was for a long time considered a fiasco fortunately Cimino lived long enough to see the wheel turn round. When ever I read almost universal praise for a film , any film i get the feeling the herd mentality kicks in and critics to the detriment of the film over do the praise .
I won’t know if the praise has been overdone or not until I see it. I remain open-minded until then. However, I’m curious to know whether this film is as open and clear about changing the historical facts as QT was about changing the Sharon Tate story. That might be the issue which settles which film wins BP (assuming the winner is one of the two, which I predict it will be.)
Gangsters are Scorcese’s Jesus, Mary and the Saints. For centuries artists, and their workshops, painted (cranked out) the same religious subjects over and over, and nearly nothing else. We can be grateful for Hugo. and Scorcese’s other good works.
Actor driven dramas about human monsters, especially gangsters and cops, are a dime a dozen, and have been for years. None of them are big Hollywood movies. Some pay actors and publicists a little more. Give out the participation trophies.
Yeah i admire Scorsese when he stretches himself a psychological thriller, children’s tale, capitalist cautionary tale, biopic of period 0piece like gangs of new york but I do think Goodfellas is a fantastic movie
So can anyone answer me what songs are actually in the movie? So far nobody has mentioned any. Rolling Stones? Gimme Shelter?
Not sure, maybe “ I heard you paint houses, and I want to Paint it black”?
I was gonna watch Cruising in honor of Al Pacino, but I’m feeling a bit fragile tonight so it’ll be good ol’ chamomile and Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2.
New remastered restoration? I watched the first 30-40 minutes and it was visually so vivid I had to pause and give my eyeballs a break.
I think so! It’s the recently out Blu-ray.
The only version authorize by Friedkin is the blu-ray from Arrow.
Also, see the documentary Friedkin Uncut, it’s very good.
I have, it is notable! This film is quasi-transcendental: Pacino does a good, committed job and–as always–his remarkable screen persona carries with his burden…but, goddamn, had Richard Gere been the lead, I do believe this would be the definitive American Gay Film.
Thank you. Now I have something to fantasized about for the rest of the night, replacing Pacino with Richard Gere in every scene of the movie.
well, okay, but then we’ll need to let Pacino replace Gere in Pretty Woman. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5e93f83f922e31b73e9ead91e5b1f2bf47d6847f0ee92883342f70b17190c39e.jpg
Julia would have so much fun with this new version of Pretty Woman.
So the only negative comment so far is from Jane Rosenthal, lol.
“ it’s a slow movie, lacks intensity..”
(Mattoc! Welcome back!)
Haha, thanks Ryan. Just when I thought I was out, you pull me back in.
So many exciting movies coming out this Oscar season but I cannot be enthusiastic about this. I feel as if Scorsese has milked the mob movie genre dry and I don’t look forward to 3.5 more hours of his take on another version. Undoubtedly it is very well made as Scorsese is a master craftsman, but I don’t see the Academy being super excited about what seems so familiar.
Scorsese won his directing Oscar for a crime movie and, when he wins his second deserved Oscar, i feel like it will be for something different. He’s very capable of making masterpieces that aren’t crime-based dramas — The Age of Innocence and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore being two of my favourites. And, as far as I’m concerned, Scorsese already made a great movie this year: Rolling Thunder Review.
Having said that, I’ll certainly be very happy to be pleasantly surprised by The Irishman and to have to take back my initial comments!
I’d argue we’ve been proven in the early 2000s that when Scorsese does make anything that isn’t a mob movie in search of Oscar (even though 80% of his films aren’t mob movies), people ask for more mob movies. So I’d argue that if he wins another Oscar, it’ll be for something like this
Interesting argument!
The Academy are very excited, by what I’m reading elsewhere. Remember many of them are Scorsese’s age. I’m also looking forward to it, if it is as reflective and sober as they say.
Yes an whole heartedly agree
1. I loved every film made by Martin Scorsese
2. I was not at all excited to see The Irishman
3. De Niro, Pacino, Pesci give great performances, not surprised about that
4. The film is made impeccably, it’s very long but it doesn’t feel that long
5. For me it is the least interesting film Scorsese has ever made
6. For the first time I don’t feel like seeing a Scorsese movie a second time
You’ve seen it already? Ok. I won’t ask where.
New York Film Festival
Ah, you’re so lucky! That’s much better than the London Film Festival which I will attend next weekend, which never has any effect on the awards race.
At least I will get to see The King before anybody else on this site. (Although there may be some sneak previews in the States.)
Why is my post about The Lies of The Irishman by Bill Tonelli from Slate on August 7 not being posted ?
Because Disqus is set to reject offsite URLs.
We had 3 situations last season where people were posting links to sites that were malware traps.
Anyway, Steve, if anyone wants to read Slate they can go find Slate on their own.
Sorry that Disqus blocked you from trying to piss on a movie that most movielovers are loving because it’s a great movie,
whether or not it satisfies everyone who would rather bitch about its legit license to not be an acceptable history lecture to some freelance Slate whiner.
Ryan thank you for explaining why I wasn’t posted. So I should care that most makeovers are loving The Irishman because it’s a great movie . Why ? Back in 1980 there was a movie called Heaven’s Gate that is the greatest example i can think of how studio cowardice and critical over reaction killed a great film and destroyed Michael Cimino’s life. I guess by your reasoning i should follow whatever the majority thinks and not think for myself .
“Back in 1980 there was a movie called Heaven’s Gate that is the greatest example i can think of how studio cowardice and critical over reaction killed a great film”
1) Back in 1980, every discerning movielover with their own mind knew that Heaven’s Gate was a masterpiece.
2) What does studio cowardice in 1980 have to do with your eagerness to drag down The Irishmen with a stupid lie detector test on the day it premieres?
3) Nobody killed Heaven’s Gate. It remains today restored to its original form, a masterpiece. Or are you just weirdly mad that the studio didn’t make its money back in 1980?
4) No Steven, you don’t have to do what the majority does in order to please me. But if you come on Sasha’s site and casually try to preemptively trash a movie that you have not even seen – a movie that your friend Sasha loves, a movie that most of us are looking forward to seeing – then my dear dude, you had better expect that you’re going to get a fuckin rebuttal from me, alright?
5) By all means, if it makes you feel like a cool independent little rebel to sidle into every post about the Irishmen, and snark at Goodfellas, mock Scorsese, and try to undermine a new movie that most people say is extraordinary, then please do continue to flounce around making wisecracks from now till Oscar night.
6) Just be aware that if that’s what makes you happy, it’s going to piss me off. So get ready to have me drag you every time you try to drag this movie.
7) What sort of sick logic is it for you to preach to me about the way a few jackasses tried to wreck Cimino and Heaven’s Gate, when it appears clear to me that every goofball thing you have to say about Scorsese and his latest epic seems to be a similar effort to wreck The Irishman?
What about Anna Paquin? Can she be back in the Oscar race?
Apparently she only has two lines, totaling like seven words or something like that. I’d say she’ll be a non-factor in awards season.
That sucks. I was already rooting for her. Thanks for the info.
Thank you.
Sasha you say about The Irishman that it asks the question, How do you measure your life’s worth and what matters in the end and then you mention Godfather 1&2 ,Goodfellas, Casino and The Irishman . Goodfellas was just an updated version of Mean Streets and Casino was basically Goodfellas goes to Vegas . Once Upon A Time In America and Godfather 3 do ask that question . I’ve also held that Godfather 3 was one of the most heartbreakingly tragic, courageous and moral films to come out of Hollywood in years.
“Goodfellas was just an updated version of Mean Streets and Casino was basically Goodfellas goes to Vegas.”
Right. And don’t forget:
Goodfellas was just an updated version of The 400 Blows.
Star Wars was pretty much Goodfellas in a galaxy far far away.
Call Me by Your Name was basically the same as Goodfellas, right?
(I’ll dig the fuckin’ hole. I don’t give a fuck. What is it, the first hole I dug? Not the first time I dug a hole. I’ll fuckin’ dig a hole. In that peach.”)
Goodfellas goes to Vegas
that’s the comment. just wanted to actually type that and it felt amazing.
To quote Marge Simpson – “Everything here is something!”
Goodfellas may or may not have been an updated version of Mean Streets, but it is certainly not “just” that.