“I HEARD YOU PAINT MASTERPIECES”
It is a master in complete control of his craft, it’s Scorsese at the top of his game. Scorsese’s recent magnum opus of mob genre is the best film experience I’ve had this year.
Film Starts with an iconic Scorsese tracking shot through the hallway of an Old Folks Care center, and at the end of it, we see an aged Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) is sitting in a wheelchair. This is the story of this Irishman spread over several decades, Frank was a WWII veteran who fought in Italy, that is why he speaks Italian and that’s why he’s merciless when killing people. Frank narrates his story that goes back to the 1950s when he was working as a truck driver, delivering meat, but then he started stealing it for a local gangster. This eventually drops him into the orbit of Russel Buffalino (Joe Pesci), who is a national level mobster, a soft-spoken Mafia don who is part of a body that controls Philadelphia. Russel tries to be a good person, but he’s a person who will scare you by just talking. After Sheeran proves his worth as a friend and Hitman for Bufalino, he eventually meets Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Frank forms this enduring bond with Hoffa over the years, and he becomes Hoffa’s confident, his go-to person. Hoffa makes this bond with Sheeran’s family especially his daughter Peggy who for some reason is scared of Bufalino, she just can’t look at him properly, but with Hoffa it’s different, there are love and respect for each other between them. But then the tension starts building up between Hoffa and Bufalino and things start going south for everyone especially Frank.
The Irishman is a masterclass in terms of storytelling, the film is dark, brutal, gritty but somehow manages to be funny at times. Scorsese allowed his character to not fight and kill all the time, they sit they talk and just stay quiet at times. It has iconic Scorsese violence, people get shot in the face so many times that you’ll not be able to keep the count. It is a master dealing things with full control, he gets the best of his actors and performance are absolutely breathtaking. Robert De Niro being Robert De Niro, he’s just at so ease when acting, he’s been in some pathetic movies lately but The Irishman is a proof that De Niro is not an actor for films like Dirty Grandpa, this is what he’s made for. Al Pacino is known for roles when he’s yelling at the top of lungs, when he’s angry or when he’s showing extreme emotion, full of passion, that is what he’s doing as Jimmy Hoffa. He’s fierce as Jimmy Hoffa. Joe Pesci is although playing a character totally opposite of his reputation. He’s quite and terrifying, he’s a guy you don’t want any trouble with. He will kill you and then will go on with his normal life as nothing happened, he’s that cold, and Joe Pesci is astonishingly good as Russ Bufalino. When the film is into its final act, these are the moment so priceless it’s hard to put in words. The tension is built with impeccable camera work, Scorsese just suddenly cuts the background music and there’s complete silence in the background and De Niro and Pacino are acting like it is their last time, few words more expression, and then The Irishman becomes an instant classic.
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A film for the ages, you will love it and cherish it for years to come. Thanks to Netflix and producers for putting their 160 Million into this project. Go watch The Irishman because this is a collaboration we might never see happening again, EVER!
