The combination of film-maker Martin Scorsese and actor Robert Deniro has produced some of the greatest films of my generation including my all time favourite Taxi Driver, with Raging Bull and mob classic Goodfellas, not far behind.
This collaboration between the two has been a long time coming and Scorsese has enlisted the support of more of his favourites in Joe Pesci in a major role and Harvey Keitel riding shotgun. The big drawcard is Al Pacino who teams up with Deniro for the first time since Heat in 1995 and the scenes with them together are captivating.
The Irishman is based on a true story. Deniro plays Frank Sheeran a former WW2 soldier who confessed to executing numerous German prisoners who had surrendered during the war. It was this callousness that made him a target for the Mafia whilst working as a truck driver upon his return from WW2. He is befriended and mentored by mob boss Russell Buffalino played impeccably by Joe Pesci. This isn’t the same Joe Pesci we know, the outwardly homicidal maniac in Scorsese’s Goodfellas and Casino. This is a restrained, manipulative character, however with no less menacing intent than his previous roles. A brilliant performance.
Al Pacino shares the screen equally with the other two as Jimmy Hoffa, the union boss from the 60’s and 70’s. When tensions between the unions and the government start heating up, it’s Russell Buffalino who recommends Frank Sheeran to Hoffa to be his “security”. Hoffa and Sheeran become great friends but when some of Hoffa’s decisions begin to compromise the expectations of the Mafia, things get tricky.
The film goes for 3.5 hours so it gives Scorsese the space to explore some of the complexities of the times. The movie to’s and fro’s from the early 2000’s from an aging Frank Sheeran in a nursing home, back to the 60’s which personally I just found a bit convoluted but that’s just me. Within the time travel you can witness some of the influence of the Mafia over politics such as the assassinations of the Kennedy’s and selling of arms to the CIA in order to bring down Castro.
For me, these were just side acts. The dialogue between Pacino and Deniro’s characters held us spellbound. We only got to see a little of this in Heat, in that unforgettable café scene so if you’re a fan of these two giants, buckle in because you’re in for a treat!
How on earth do you upstage Deniro and Pacino? Well 75 year old Joe Pesci may well have taken any awards from them. I’ve always got a laugh from Pesci’s maniacal hitman roles before, but this one is understated and utterly compelling. I imagine acting is a bit like any vocation or professional sport whereby you tend to step up when you’re surrounding by talented peers. This is certainly the best acting Deniro has produced in a very long time and Pacino possesses the sort of energy he had in Serpico and Carlito’s Way. Surely some of this is attributed to Pesci who so believable as a mobster boss, he must be like this at home!
Two other notable performances come from Ray Romano as the union attorney and Buffalino’s nephew Bill, and English actor Stephen Graham playing Hoffa’s annoying union rival Anthony Provenzano. The hatred between Hoffa and this gangster is palpable and very funny in parts. Unfortunately this film wasn’t designed to employ a lot of women for speaking parts. This is clearly a story of bad men doing bad things. That’s not to say the women in the film aren’t good, it’s just that there is little range for them. For instance, the fantastic NZ actress Anna Paquin of The Piano and Margaret fame, plays one of Deniro’s daughters and exhibits little more than facial expressions.
The Irishman is only showing in a few independent cinemas for a limited time. It was financed by Netflix and will be shown on Netflix in late November, and this has unfortunately denied the major cinemas access. Like all Scorsese films it’s visually stunning, the costumes and sets are authentic and the music is spot on as you are taken through the generations.
It feels like Scorsese has made this film to fulfil his own desire to extract the best from these 3 legends before they all retire to their respective mob mansions! Certainly didn’t feel like 3.5 hours. Totally engaging. 9.5/10
