Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) reunites with director Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street) for this crime drama that sees everything from the mob to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in this three-and-a-half-hour effort that, if you stick with it, will give at least some sense of satisfaction to those willing to endure it. This all-star cast, which includes Scorsese teaming with Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scent of a Woman) for the first time, also includes Joe Pesci (My Cousin Vinny, Casino), Harvey Keitel (Bugsy, The Piano), Anna Paquin (The Piano, Almost Famous), Ray Romano (The Big Sick, CBS’s Everybody Loves Raymond), Jesse Plemons (Hostiles, The Post), and Bobby Cannavale (I, Tonya, Ant-Man).

Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (De Niro) is a man we meet in a nursing home reflecting on his life. The former hitman and high official in the Teamsters labor union, he is known for “painting houses,” which refers to killing with a gun, a skill he learned while serving in Italy during World War II. His life of crime has alienated him from two wives and four daughters, including Peggy (Paquin). His claim to playing a role in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), his lifelong friend, is one of his notorious claims to fame. The movie chronicles his years working for the Bufalino crime family, headed by Russell Bufalino (Pesci), and the dozens of hits he carried out for the family.

This movie is long and somewhat confusing, mainly due to its length. I had to watch half of it in one sitting and half in another. That said, even if I didn’t understand everything going on, I still found it gripping. Frank breaks the fourth wall in cinema when he talks to us, the audience. Unlike most of my reviews, I won’t claim to simplify the plot here. I’ll simply say that Frank started as an honest meat truck driver who was all too easily influenced and driven to a life of crime with the mob, first by stealing his meat and selling it at a lower price than Felix DiTullio (Cannavale) can get from a competitor. Next, Frank is seen as a quick study who can provide Russell’s needed muscle. The two develop a lifelong friendship, including Russell introducing Frank to Hoffa.

The Irishman does best to tell Frank’s story, his ups and downs, and ultimately his legacy. The movie’s last hour follows Frank’s lonely decline to the point where he can nearly take care of himself physically. The one-time notorious killer (who had never been caught for his crimes) whose primary motive was earning enough money so that his family never needed to have good intentions even if he knew what he was doing was very wrong. Frank runs errands for Russell and Jimmy that he doesn’t always understand. Nevertheless, he remains loyal and carries them out without asking many questions.

Scorsese generally pays homage to his movies and crime movies, especially to his counterpart, Francis Ford Coppola. He goes a little over the top with his imagery and tries to connect these crime movies. Never known for being concise, three and a half hours is too long, even for him. But, despite its length, it never really gets slow. The story is instead gripping, even if it feels like it could be told in two (or more) different stories. De Niro, who has been mailing it in with many of his most recent roles, goes for broke here and is the number one reason for watching The Irishman. But all the performances are remarkable, even those by actors (Keitel, Plemons, Romano) that I didn’t mention here. The score is good. The backdrops in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago are great. Also, the makeup is top-notch. Aging both De Niro and Pesci was done exceptionally well. The movie is scary because this stuff happens underneath the law.

While I didn’t love it, I liked it. I won’t watch it again because of its length and because I don’t think it needs a second viewing. It will be nominated for many Oscars this year and might even win a few. While 2019 has been an incredibly down year for movies, there are more deserving movies than The Irishman. If you can stomach its length, I’d recommend giving it a watch.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 7.5/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 4.5/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
77%

C

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