Review of The Irishman (2019) by The3Academysins — 09 Nov 2019

The Irishman is a reflective, meditative, beautiful film from the master, Martin Scorsese. This is one of the most profound movies I have seen all year. The story is a sprawling gangster epic that truly leaves no stone un-turned. The brilliance of the story is that it does not romanticize the gangster lifestyle, but truly shows the curse of a man punished with longevity for his actions.

The acting is incredible all across the board. Robert De Niro gives a virtuoso performance. Al Pacino chews the scenery in a way that is both magnificent and desperately heartbreaking. Joe Pesci makes a triumphant return to the big screen, and he is arguably the best part of the film. The ensemble supporting cast of mobsters and political figures are all so charming and serve to fill up this world to its brim.

The de-aging technology used on De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino was expertly implemented. I actually didn't mind it at all, and it was used in such a way so that it actually served the story rather than distract from it. It's absolutely remarkable to see.

The movie is not perfect, however. It is 3 and a half hours long, and I felt every minute of that run time. I actually started to get anxious over sitting in one place for so long. Also, I felt that the way the story was told, through the characters playing telephone, got very repetitive and it sometimes sucked the life out of the movie. All in all, this is a masterpiece from a master of the craft.