The Irishman is directed by the genius, Martin Scorsese (my favorite filmmaker of all time), and stars Robert De Niro (my favorite actor of all time), Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. If those four names listed does not cause excitement, I do not know what else would. The film is based on a true story and follows the life of Frank Sheeran (De Niro) and his involvement with the Bufalino Crime Family. As stated before, Martin Scorsese is my favorite director of all time, and a huge inspiration to me. He has made some of my favorite films and some of the greatest films of all time, such as Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980), and Mean Streets (1973). The Irishman is no different. Not only is it the best film of the year, but it is also one of Martin Scorsese’s best films with him at his most reflective.
Scorsese directs this film with creativity, contemplation, and passion. His ability to show Frank Sheeran’s life in a 3 and a half hour runtime where no minute is wasted, and make it the most riveting and compelling film of the year is nothing short of impressive. Scorsese brilliantly directs epic crane shots with exciting movement and utilizes wide-angle lenses to create the epic scope of the film and to you immerse you that much deeper into Frank Sheeran’s world. He also shoots tight close-ups where the camera is still to bring you into the intimacy of Sheeran’s world. This a movie where you are enthralled being in the world of these characters because Scorsese skillfully and masterfully knows how tell a riveting story and create an authentic world that those characters inhabit. Every camera move, cut, and shot is a work of art.
This movie easily has the best cast of the year with three of some of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. This is Scorsese and De Niro’s first collaboration since Casino (1995). It was well worth the wait with De Niro delivering an incredible performance filled with subdued power. De Niro is my favorite actor of all time, and this performance fulfills that. He is so subdued as Frank, becoming the man while skillfully hiding what is underneath the surface to powerful effect. Through De Niro’s eyes, Sheeran comes across as a broken man with a lot of pain who has darkness inside of him. Pesci has come out of retirement with this film, and that is cause for a lot of joy. This might be my favorite performance from him, showing us a side you rarely see from him. His performance is quiet, calm, and calculating as Russell Bufalino. Through that calmness, he expresses menace and terrifying authority.
It is hard to say any actor stole this film with the remarkable performances from De Niro and Pesci, but if that had to be said for one actor in this film, then that would be Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa. He is mesmerizing as Hoffa and fires up the frame when he is in it. Every time he speaks or moves, you are just excited because of the energy he brings to the picture. Pacino masterfully balances humor and intensity as Hoffa, and it was the perfect first-time collaboration between him and Scorsese. It’s hard to even put into the words the acting excellence when Pacino and De Niro, Pesci and De Niro, and Pesci and Pacino are on screen together. It is acting at its finest. The brilliant performances do not stop at these three masters. This film is filled with amazing supporting performances from Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin, and so much more. Scorsese brilliantly allows every single actor to shine in this film, and brings the uniqueness and best out of each and every one of them.
Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography is rich and pristine with his genius lighting that helps to immerse you in the story and world even more, and evoke the different time periods in the film. Him and Scorsese effectively utilize color to give each decade in the film its own signature look and feel, as well as to visually express the psychology of the characters. The cinematography by Prieto is an achievement that helps to make this film a masterpiece. Again, Scorsese’s incredible attention to detail is evident in this movie in bringing us into these time period’s and the life of the character’s. Bob Shaw’s production design is perfect in bringing the setting and time periods in the film to vivid life, aided by Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell’s detailed and magnificent costume design.
The screenplay by Steven Zaillian, who also penned Ridley Scott’s fantastic American Gangster (2007), is intelligent and compelling that perfectly balances the multiple decades and many characters. He also writes exciting and rich dialogue that enhance the already perfect performances. It is so refreshing that Scorsese and Zaillian took their time to tell this story. They want you to spend time and live with Frank and these characters, feeling the lifetime that is being shown. Scorsese and Zaillian taking their time to tell this story and to slowly develop the characters made the film that much more of a rewarding viewing experience. The film is so perfectly paced, where no amount of screen time what’s so ever feels as though it should be cut out. This is because of immaculate editing from longtime Scorsese collaborator, Thelma Schoonmaker, who is one of the best editors that cinemas has to offer. Her and Scorsese strike a perfect balance of vivaciousness and tranquility.
The Irishman is one of Scorsese’s most thematically rich and reflective films of his career. He and Zaillian reflect on life, and the choices we make, as well as the consequences of violence that lead to regret and destruction in our souls and to the people we hold most dear. They ask us to really experience the life of Frank Sheeran and the violent acts he commits and how he pays for them. It is powerful, beautiful and haunting, and that is because of Scorsese’s perfect direction, and Zaillian’s rich screenwriting. Scorsese wants us to think and to respond to the violence on screen and how that leads to regret and heartbreak, and the “gangster genre” is the perfect place for Scorsese to explore life and the consequences of violence, as well as many other themes.
Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is an epic masterpiece of cinema, and not only the best film of the year so far, but also my personal favorite film of the year so. Fueled by Scorsese’s passionate and masterful direction, powerful performances, intelligent writing, beautiful cinematography, immaculate editing, and detailed production and costume design, The Irishman is a work of art. Scorsese proves once again that he is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and that their is no one like him. This is his most reflective film, where he reflects on life, time, family, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of violence. He takes you into a world with three-dimensional characters that makes you ponder important themes and one you never want to leave. This is cinema at its most powerful, emotional, thought-provoking, riveting, and reflective. It is not to be missed.
GRADE: A+
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