A new Scorcese film creates high expectations and The Irishman is no exception. This director is a walking film encyclopedia and has made several classic movies. Add to that the fact that he again cooperates with Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci (with whom he made Goodfellas and Casino) and also Al Pacino, which makes this a title that you want to watch as quickly as you can. After a very short time at the cinema The Irishman is now available on Netflix. Can Scorcese deliver another classic?
The film tells a large part of the life story of Frank Sheeran (Robert de Niro), a truck driver who meets Mafia boss Russel Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and works for him as a “house painter” (codename within the mafia for assassin). He also meets and starts a friendship with the powerful Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
In short, this feels like Scorcese and his “band” are playing their old hits. As you are watching you regularly get a “remember this?” vibe. The film is nicely shot and certainly contains good acting performances (with Pesci perhaps being the most impressive), but the film has a problem.
Scorcese decided not to have younger actors play the younger versions of the characters. Instead, he made the choice to rejuvenate by means of computer. Obviously, that technique has been greatly improved in recent years, but when your actors are all in their 70s and are used for all kinds of scenes (including action), then no CGI can conceal that they no longer move as smoothly. There is a moment when De Niro’s character has to kick someone and it looks almost laughable. There is no moment where you believe this is a vital man who can beat anyone up. And that is a problem which can pull you out of the film as a viewer. It’s also three and a half hours in which there are really few memorable events. The result is a film that unfortunately is not one of the best Scorcese films.
[score7]