Martin Scorsese has released another gangster epic, a genre he does best. Scorsese is an Italian-American filmmaker and historian who has been active in the film industry for 50 years. Some common themes that occur throughout his films are: Sicilian-American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt, redemption, faith, modern crime, gang conflict, and family. Released on Netflix on November 27th, The Irishman runs for 3 ½ hours and has an ensemble cast starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino.
Scorsese perfectly conveys the emotional complexities of brotherhood using the visual image. While it is lengthy, the film does not feel as if it drags on. Scorsese was of the first to use CGI to alter the appearances of Robert De Niro’s and Joe Pesci’s characters to make them either look older or younger depending on the scene. The film moves through time, with flashbacks and flash-forwards based in the 1950’s. The performances by every character in the film were stunning. Al Pacino plays Jimmy Hoffa, the leader of the Teamsters union tied to organized crime. Robert De Niro, plays Frank Sheeran, an Irish hitman working under Hoffa, and gives an outstanding performance as well, delivering great stoicism in intense scenes. Joe Pesci plays Russel Buffalino, a respected man of many jobs involved with Jimmy and Frank. Pesci plays a calm, rational character this time around, a contrast to his previous films with Scorsese that featured an intense character, like in Raging Bull. I expect The Irishman to get Academy nominations and potentially even win best picture!