'The Irishman' Review

Having seen a range of very good (The Personal History of David Copperfield and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood) to great (The Lighthouse and A Hidden Life) films this London Film Festival, last night's live broadcast of The Irishman put it at the top of the lot quite easily (though I didn't manage to catch a lot of my equally anticipated films of the festival). Marty Scorsese's depiction of the life of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) as enforcer for the Bufalino crime family and the part he plays in the darker shades of American history continues his great recent form. with aplomb.

The Good: 

- Martin Scorsese on top form and this may well be his best directed film of this decade so far, which is really saying something as he pulls out every trick in his playbook with a few new stylistic additions coming into play, and they all pay off marvellously. In particular his editing collaboration with Rodrigo Pietro and Thelma Schoonmaker leads to some incredibly tense and funny payoffs with the visuals and pacing, whether it be a darkly comedic visual gag or a clever juxtaposition of scenes between the criminal and the 'proper' life our characters lead.

- One of my issues with The Wolf of Wall Street which I do love otherwise is that the ending does feel like it maybe...glorifies Jordan Belfort a bit (though maybe that's the nature of the story?) The Irishman, like Goodfellas, does no such thing. This is a blunt, resoundingly told story where crime certainly doesn't pay even if it seems like it does.

- All the three principals are phenomenal. Robert De Niro has perhaps the least flashy role as the titular Irishman but is a great lead to follow throughout and in the final act of the film surprisingly heartbreaking, giving his best work since...wow,  Goodfellas really (though I've liked him a lot in Jackie Brown, Stardust and American Hustle). Joe Pesci makes a resounding return with a wonderfully low-key and poignant portrayal of Russell Bufalino, a gangster who's always trying to ensure things go over smoothly. And on the other end Al Pacino is a hoot as Jimmy Hoffa himself, but with his quieter scenes showing the man behind the public image equally powerful as his loud histrionic cussing and rabble-rousing sequences

- The whole cast, at least those who get to do something, are phenomenal. Special mention to Ray Romano's wholesomely sleazy lawyer and Stephen Graham (who has proved with this, Boardwalk Empire and Public Enemies to truly be a master of disappearing into gangster roles) as the hilariously petty yet menacing Anthony Provenzano.

- Some of my favourite production and costume design of the year so far, methinks, never drawing attention to itself, but everything from the sunglasses of each character to their holiday getup says so much about them.

- Soundtrack is great but I mean, what do you expect? It is a Martin Scorsese film.

The Bad:

- Some of the cast - Jesse Plemons and Anna Paquin in particular - are a bit wasted, though they're good in their respective roles, but I certainly wouldn't have minded more time with them. Especially considering how important Paquin's Peggy Sheeran pans out in the end. But with such a long running time of 200 minutes I can see why they perhaps left a bit out on the editing room floor though it's a bit of a shame we don't get a strong outsider's perspective like that of Lorraine Bracco's Karen Hill in Goodfellas.

- That's about it...really. One thing I'll note is that it does befit a Netflix viewing because you will probably need a LOT of toilet breaks in between the 3 + hour runtime.

The Ugly:

- The much discussed VFX ageing for the actors, in particular De Niro, is noticeable in maybe 2 or 3 scenes? But overall I thought it did not detract at all from the experience, just remember the point is not to recreate a 70s De Niro but rather a younger or middle-aged Frank Sheeran.

Conclusion: 

One of my favourite films of the year, possibly my favourite, and once again the master Scorsese does not disappoint. I've loved all of his recent films so really this was not a surprise, but I was surprised by how much I loved it. Watch it when it comes out on Netflix though I will say a cinema experience with it was quite wonderful too.