Film
Review: The Irishman
The Irishman is a great achievement by a director who, at the age of 76, is still very much at the top of his game, says Linda Marric
November 8, 2019 15:50
The Irishman is a great achievement by a director who, at the age of 76, is still very much at the top of his game, says Linda Marric
November 8, 2019 15:50Martin Scorsese’s latest gangster tale The Irishman is arguably, his best film since Goodfellas (1989). Reuniting screen legends Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci for the first time since Casino (1995), this impeccably crafted production also stars Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel and uses innovative de-ageing CGI technology, which allows the actors to appear as younger versions of themselves.
Written by Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List), The Irishman is based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 memoir, I Heard You Paint Houses — a euphemism for conducting a hit on someone — and tells the story of mob hitman Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran.
The year is 1950 and Frank (De Niro), a Second World War veteran and truck driver, is hired by the head of the Bufalino crime family, Russell Bufalino (a dazzling Pesci, fresh out of retirement) to carry out some of his messier work. Frank rises within the ranks of the organisation and is promptly introduced to infamous Teamster union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).
Hired by Hoffa as extra muscle to help intimidate his enemies, Frank eventually forms a lasting friendship with the controversial figure.
Years later, Sheeran finds himself caught between his loyalty to Bufalino, and that of an increasingly erratic Hoffa whose deteriorating relationship with the mob has reached a point of no return.
Scorsese has created a deftly executed and beautifully precise story that shows how he has matured compared to his earlier work. Away from the boisterous japes of The Wolf of Wall Street and the explicit violence of his Goodfellas days, the film-maker here offers a set of characters who may brag less but who, deep down, are still very much in charge. De Niro, Pesci and Pacino give three impeccable performances and seem as delighted to be in each other’s presence as viewers will be to see them together.
Elsewhere, there are some impressive turns from Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano and Anna Paquin, while British actor Stephen Graham lights up the screen every second he’s on it.
Overall, while some have quibbled about the slightly jarring quality of the de-ageing process, nobody can deny that The Irishman is a great achievement by a director who, at the age of 76, is still very much at the top of his game.