The irishman - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog
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A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
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An understated and 'mature' Scorsese, gone are the crashing zooms of frenetic energy of youth in favour of control and precision mastering the best of both worlds savouring moments of character and humour, delivering a 'character study' of regret but not remorse echoing the phrase 'it is what it is'.
Its strength coming from the understated performances of DeNiro (Playing Frank Sheeran) and Pesci (Russel Bufalino) whose friendship spanning decades of quiet understanding and chilling understated menace. A simple almost wordless exchange meaning far more than anything that could be spoken. Pesci embodying a gentle underlying threat to his usual portrayal of manic sociopaths. It is a measured performance as is DeNiro’s who hasn't been better in a very long time. Neither performances are showy rather they ground themselves in melancholic strength underlying the truth that power isn't about who can scream the loudest.
Pacino plays Hoffa at his megalomaniac best, acting to his strengths as a brash overly confident control freak that never feels false. A pitch perfect performance that lends a frenetic energy counterpointing the control of DeNiro; a seemingly unlikely friendship that feels real and organic. A lunch time meeting between Hoffa and Provanzano (Stephen Graham) brilliant and darkly comedic, seething with underlying menace.
There are lots of little pockets of humour; Sheeran disposing of his revolver in his favourite spot in a river after a hit. It joining hundreds of others there he coolly states if they ever sent divers down there would be enough weapons found to ‘arm a small country’.
A cringe-worthy phone call between Sheeran (DeNiro) and Hoffa’s estranged wife perfectly encapsulates Sheeran’s Character: His awkwardness and apathy, struggling to communicate on any emotional level with her. He’s done a bad deed but he can’t be remorseful about it so he has to try to fake it.
Clocking in at around three and a half hours, there are patches where I felt the running time, particularly at the start. Perhaps that was due to certain de-aging scenes taking me out of the movie. Some were done really well and others just looked fake - in particular Pesci fares the worse of the two leads his digital make over leaping out at you to the point you’re paying more attention to his ‘digital face’ than what he’s actually saying. I couldn’t help but think what the movie could have been like in the 90s without digital interference and played for real.
Thankfully you settle into watching the movie, especially when Hoffa enters the fray. His manic energy a well needed boost to counterpoint the sedate even keel of Sheeran and Bufalino. When the trio do interact there is moments of magic highlighting why they are some of America’s greatest actors.
When all is said and done, ‘The Irishman’ is a great movie with a few slow patches but not enough to curb your enjoyment.
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