The Irishman

The impact from Martin Scorsese's film career can't be understated by how many have been influenced by his works. For over 50 years, his movies have involved levels of violence, crime, faith, and other themes to be dissected. It's usually an unspoken kind of rule to watch at least one of his classic features to really understand his quality as a filmmaker. This is probably going to shock some of you but I haven't seen any of his works from his long career (gives a moment to pause to process this shocking revelation before deciding whether to continue reading this). So it was interesting to see Martin team up Netflix as the distributor of his next project that's been in development hell since 2014 considering how big chain companies dislike that streaming platform. This brings us to The Irishman, which he directed and co-produced with the return of acting talent associated him in Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci (fresh out of retirement). This was noteworthy not only for the reunion of this actor trio but for having the longest runtime of Scorsese's works. I haven't seen much marketing surrounding it but I wanted to see how it held up considering the awards nominations it has and after watching it in one sitting, I can definitely say Netflix is bringing the heat to the competition in this entry.

What's it about? Based on the 2004 nonfiction book I Heard You paint Houses, the story follows the history of a truck driver who ends up working as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family. The tale described here depicts the relationships he forms within the syndicate from close companions to noticing volatile individuals who risk ruining them in some capacity. It shows the evolution of how those dynamics are affect by political events in history that would come with legal ramifications in some manner, which sparks conflict along the way. It gets rather fascinating in how those bonds are tested when tough decisions are made, which the long runtime allows to be expressed efficiently. This drama is best suited for a Netflix viewing since many viewers can choose to watch this in one sitting with a few breaks or treat each hour as part of an engaging miniseries.

However, there are a few noticeable issues holding this back from reaching higher quality. The history drama involved with affecting the events of the narrative tend to feel uninteresting at points (though that could be one of my bias with not being that into history related media). An aspect that's touched upon but is undercooked the how the protagonists family bond is affected by his action with the syndicate. They brief show one of his children looking at him with fear but the film (much like the man himself) tends to leave it to the side and the impact of the result is lost.

How's the de-aging technology used? It's hard to ignore this aspect since it's a recent Hollywood trend of trying out this technique in various genres. For the most part, the effect is handled pretty well in taking this actor trio in their late 70s and making them appear to be in their 50s. There are a few moments where it looks weird (particularly in the sunlight since it's better to hide in dark indoors). One funny thing to note is that the actions of a 75+ old actor with the face of their younger self makes it weird to look at (for example a de-aged Samuel Jackson in a brief fight where he's running or punching in Captain Marvel).

How are the actors? In regards to characters with plot importance, the actors to focus on are Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. Robert gives a strong performance as someone attempting to keep the peace with the members of the crime family and his reaction to the later actions he takes is well done. Joe's return from his acting retirement is to a good subdued portrayal that gives a balance of an individual who will calmly have a conversation with an issue before making a swift decision if all options have been exhausted. As for Pacino, this supporting performance is strong with how abrasive and loud his character is when events don't end up in a favorable direction (things get interesting once he's on-screen). Dishonorable mention goes to wasting the time and talents of Anna Paquin.

Overall Consensus: The Irishman is an engaging epic crime drama with great acting, a solid story, good pacing of events, and foreboding tone over the harsh environment. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4 Runtime: 3 hours 26 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Martin Scorsese. You don't mind de-aging technology used on older cast members. You have read the nonfiction novel it's based on and want to see how it's adapted. You don't mind long 3 hour runtimes. You want to see how it compares to its competition in awards season.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Martin Scorsese. You dislike de-aging technology used on older cast members. You have read the nonfiction novel it's based on but don't want to see how it's adapted. You hate long 3 hour runtimes.