Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s "The Irishman," an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
The only big screen you can see the movie on in Tulsa is at Circle Cinema, which has exclusive rights to the film before it debuts on Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
— Michael Smith, World Scene Writer
A celebration of Scorsese moviemaking
Not only is "The Irishman" one of the best movies of 2019, but it is also one of the best movies that Martin Scorsese has made in his 50-year career.
It's a mob movie, and we know that Scorsese knows how to deliver on that promise.
But it's more than that — the filmmaker doesn't make the same movie twice.
It's slick like "Goodfellas," but it takes itself more serious. It smolders like "Casino," but it's more entertaining. While "The Departed" may have won Scorsese his Oscars for best picture and best director, this movie is superior.
The director takes everything he's learned from those movies and makes a mature masterpiece that is both a story of a man's life over a half-century but also the story of organized crime and labor unions over that time, and how each changed American life.
It goes even broader than that, showing how these elements even intermingled with historic moments like the 1960 presidential election, the Bay of Pigs and Watergate.
On its most personal level, the film is an examination of how one man makes decisions that will lead to a life of crime as well as corruption, and the price he pays — and makes others pay.
The movie is a celebration of Scorsese moviemaking that made me smile for the entirety of this very long movie.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
Like "Goodfellas" meets "The Godfather"
But there is also a denouement that is so powerful, an "At what price?" finality that reminded me of Francis Ford Coppola's initial agreement decades ago to making "The Godfather, Part II": "Only if I can kill Michael Corleone this time."
Think of that sentiment, and see if you don't notice Scorsese's nods to "The Godfather" sequel as he makes "The Irishman" feel like, when it comes to his making any more gangster movies, that this is the end.
It would be a perfect conclusion before he moves on to his next film: "Killers of the Flower Moon," scheduled to begin shooting in Oklahoma in 2020.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
De Niro reunites with Scorsese after 24 years
"The Irishman" is Frank Sheeran, a man who served as the "muscle" for both the New York-based Bufalino crime family and for Teamster's union leader Jimmy Hoffa, and it's inspired by the book "I Heard You Paint Houses," written by Sheeran's attorney.
In mob talk, "I heard you paint houses" = "I heard you whack guys."
Robert De Niro puts away junk like "Dirty Grandpa" and reunites after 24 years with Scorsese to play Frank, an Irish man who survived bloody battles in Italy during World War II to the degree that it numbed him to the casualties of war.
That's good training for a man who will go on to work for people who will expect him to be a good soldier: to follow orders, to use a gun and kill the enemy, and to swear blind allegiance to the cause.
This all happens as Frank finds himself in the middle of not only being an enforcer for the mob, but an important character in organized crime pushing its way into labor unions to grow their power.
In a signature style, Frank's hits are low-key and quick, no muss/no fuss: Two to the head and he's out of there.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
Frank works for the mob, and for Hoffa
De Niro's Frank is an understated performance, a speak-when-spoken-to work of such restraint that he is almost totally reactionary as he finds himself the middle-man trying to find balance between the two bosses he serves.
That would be Russell Bufalino, the mafia boss who brought a young Frank into his "family," and Hoffa, the union boss so famous that he was more popular in American homes than Elvis and the Beatles, Frank says, with no exaggeration.
Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise.© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
Pesci comes out of retirement and kills
As Russell, "the old man," Pesci comes out of retirement and is brilliant as the quiet man who knows he has a level of power that doesn't demand that he raise his voice, no matter the situation.
As Hoffa, Al Pacino works with Scorsese for the first time, and his late-career over-the-top nature is a perfect for the showman labor boss who howled and waved his arms, whether amping up a rally crowd or dressing down underlings and competitors.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
Production values take audience from 1940s through the decades
These three dynamic performances fill the screen amid Scorsese's world of 1940s/1950s displays of mob royalty full of revenge and reputation-building, fantastic period cars and dark wooded bars where deals are brokered.
The fashions of the 1960s/1970s are just as impressive, and the authenticity is consistently excellent, even in elements like choreographing fight scenes.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
Excellence from cast to crew in all categories
These bruising moments look clumsy and ugly with multiple guys involved, not polished and manicured like most Hollywood faceoffs. They look dangerous, which they should among characters with nicknames like The Razor, Weasel and Hunchback.
This excellence applies to all elements of a production so deep in talent that it's difficult to single out elements.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
If there's a negative: the de-aging special effects
If there is a negative to single out, it's the incredibly expensive "de-aging" effects especially for De Niro's character, who still looks at least 40 as a soldier in World War II and never looks as young in early scenes as we are led to believe.
But the cinematography, art direction, costuming and more seem assured of Academy Award nominations for a gorgeous film that purists will want to see on the largest screen possible.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
If it's Scorsese's last mob movie, at least there's a lot of it
This is not a quick-edit movie, but a film with long, patient conversations that you can leave and probably come back to your seat to find the same conversation is still going on.
Plotting the next move takes time.
Go see "The Irishman" and relish the idea that if this is Scorsese's last mob movie, at least there is so much of it.
© 2019 Netlfix US, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Michael Smith
Scene Writer
Michael writes movie reviews and features, interviews Oklahoma performers and covers entertainment events for the Scene and Weekend sections of the Tulsa World. Phone: 918-581-8479
