The Irishman brings back together screen legends Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel. Stephen Graham also appears. Directed by Martin Scorsese The Irishman charts the story of truck driver turned hitman Frank Sheeran played by De Niro and his part in American History. Robert De Niro is fantastic in this film, the best i have seen him in years bringing one of his classic performances to the table. The only actor to outshine him is Joe Pesci. Coming out of retirement specifically for the film Pesci is outstanding here. Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa is good but we do have the shouty Pacino on display which i have always found a little over the top. Stephen Graham also plays a strong part and more than matches the legends in the scenes he is in. A lot has been made of the CGI de-aging and for me it works most of the time. A couple of scenes it is a little obvious and distracting but more noticeable is when the actors are meant to be the younger men the way they walk and kick clearly demonstrates an old man. The Irishman is a very long film but doesn't feel its length, in fact a lot of the supporting characters could have used more screen time. For me the third act was the strongest and was tinged with pathos and highlighted mortality and how our actions define us. The Irishman isn't quite classic Scorsese but is a film which really involves the audience and gets you thinking. It is a film which i feel bears a repeat viewing as so much is happening with so many time shifts that little nuances are bound to be missed by the audience the first time. Ultimately though it is great to see these legends in this genre one more time.
Review of The Irishman
