Martin Scorsese comes back with a bonafide mobster picture starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino to make one of the best films in his filmography.
CREDIT: Netflix
Martin Scorsese is back with his newest picture since 2016’s Silence. The three hour and 30 minute tour de force film from Scorsese stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci (yes, you read that right) in this mobster epic. The film is an adaptation of the 2004 book, “I Heard You Paint Houses.” It is no secret that this has been a passion project of Scorsese, and in 2019 it has landed on Netflix with a limited theatrical release in time for Oscar consideration.
Martin Scorsese directs an incredible story about Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and the mobster Russel Bufalino (Joe Pesci) as they employ Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) as a mafia hitman. It is easy to look at this as just another mobster movie from Scorsese, but this was one of his most different takes on the genre. The Irishman makes for a very somber, melancholic, and epic story to add to this incredible year of movies.
Robert De Niro’s aging mobster is an incredible performance that really adds weight and depth to the atmosphere of the picture. Joe Pesci plays a very cool, calm and collected mobster which is a little out of place from what we are used to seeing from him. Either way Pesci does an incredible job with Russel Bufalino that makes the list of my favorite performances this year. Of courser, Al Pacino is on a roll with playing Jimmy Hoffa and gives a once in a lifetime performance. The fact that this is the first time that these three are working together with Scorsese makes me sad that this might be the one and only time this gets to happen.
Martin Scorsese adds a lot of depth to this story about isolation and truly taking secrets to the grave. It’s one of his most intimately crafted films that is beautiful to look at. The editing is once again another achievement for Thelma Schoonmaker that is hopefully to be awarded during the Oscars next year. The length of the film never weighs on you as the story is always hitting every beat to make this story worth watching. This might not be on the level of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, or Raging Bull but it is a Scorsese beast of its own that blew me away.
Make sure to watch The Irishman in theaters or on Netflix.
The Nerd Corps 