The Irishman is a Mature Meditation on Crime, Aging and Regret Driven by Three Powerful Performances
There is an introspective nature to The Irishman that stands out in comparison to Martin Scorsese’s earlier mob films such as Goodfellas or The Departed. There’s less bluster, and more focus on the story beats, wonderfully accentuated by three powerhouse performances from De Niro, Pacino and Pesci. It’s a thoughtful gangster movie, where instead of brazenly calling attention to his own directorial prowess or the actors’ chops, Scorsese lets the movie breath and settle into its own rhythm.
Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa, the film follows real-life gangster Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) through the 1950s to early 2000s as he makes his way up the ladder working for Pennsylvania mob boss Russel Buffalino (Joe Pesci) and later, infamous union president Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film is framed as an ordinary road trip to a wedding in 1975, with Sheeran driving his boss and each other’s wives. As we eventually learn, this is a prelude to a betrayal that’s been a long time coming.
The Irishman is long- almost tenuously so- anchored by the way Sheeran’s relationships with Russel and Jimmy evolves over the years, and to a smaller extent, how his youngest daughter, Peggy (Anna…
