The Irishman Review

December 29, 2019 at 7:40pm
By Jason Stettner

The Irishman is a Netflix Original film that follows the life of a hitman. This is Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a man that ends up working for a number of high class mobsters. The film is essentially the last of the classic mobsters being gathered for one final run. They’re all old, and that really does show. This is even despite the remarkable de-aging technology, it’s just in their movement. It still captures the essence of youth well, but it’s not necessarily slick, and entirely slow.

That’s a lot of this movie, it takes its time and you can feel that run time. I was starting to get bored with still an hour to go, yet at the same time I couldn’t stop watching. There was a fascinating element in seeing this life unfold, even if the pacing could have been better. The ending was also rather drab, but each moment that does happen later on is more impactful to the setup of the dynamics and relationships at play.

It’s truly a classic mob film, in every way. I wonder if I’m just tired of that genre at this point, but I felt a sense of fatigue like I’ve seen this before. It was great, don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t find it to be too action packed. It takes patience to sit through.

The acting in this was excellent, as is expected considering the basically all-star cast. Everyone fit into their roles well, and it was great. We had Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa, Joe Pesci’s Russell Bufalino and you can’t forget Ray Romano’s Bill Bufalino. You get to see such a varied group of characters here, and they all fit into important spots.

I also loved how it would highlight the year, and method of death for the mobsters as they would appear on screen. That was fun for letting people know that while it’s glamorous in the moment, it didn’t necessarily work out for any of them. It’s a nice reflective look, whereas other mob films might not have had that in the past. It’s a good conclusive piece to this era of movies, and I think that does matter. The cinematography here was gorgeous, each and every shot was beautifully captured.

The presentation was stunning, the time piece elements all felt natural and really does come across as a journey through the ages of this person’s like. I’ve mentioned the great acting, and I should highlight the stunning de-aging technology here. It really did make them look for their particular era.

The Conclusion

The Irishman feels like a classic mobster movie that does indeed feature the greats, at the same time it feels considerably stretched out and you really feel that run time. This could have used more editing, it’s great that they could fit in the entire life here though the ending really could have been shortened. It becomes a bit of a marathon to get through and this won’t be for everyone. It feels like a movie from a different time, and that’s fine.

It showcases some incredible performances, remarkable de-aging technology and many impactful moments. It is however quite slow, that’s going to be felt by many. The various periods in time were well presented, and I liked the style of this. I really didn’t want to stop watching, despite getting bored of it towards the end. It’s still great, and it’s for a particular audience that has enjoyed this type of movie of the years. Again, cinematically stunning.

The Irishman Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Content Access was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.2