The Irishman * * * *
What is this? Too long for the movie house, too short for a series, too important to miss out on, too demanding of your time to prioritise.
What it is is 3 1/2 hours of quality cinema, directed by the master of gangster genre, Martin Scorsese and starring the formidable Robert de Niro and Al Pacino, with the equally impressive Jo Pesci levered out of retirement.
Set over thirty years it's about Frank Sheeran who starts off as a trucker and ends up as a totally unconscionable hit man (house painter) for Russell Buffalino. When you shoot a man in the head the walls are likely to splatter with blood. They call it "house painting".
Meanwhile there is the story of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino) and how his life become's involved with Frank's and Russell's.
It meanders a bit and you sense a bit of editing wouldn't hurt but who'd be bold enough to tell Scorsese that?
There are some very moving and telling scenes, not least between Frank's daughter and Frank's boss Russell, and his pain in being unable to relate to kids.
Depending on your personal taste, the dialogue will be a joy to listen to or the most irritating shit you've ever heard. At times I had to ask myself, is this a bunch of actors goofing around or the screen writers serious attempt to move the genre into absurdism? The fish in the car scene is probably the most telling example. But its also an insight as to why it's so so indulgently (unnecessarily?) long. Never mind the practicalities, what fun we are having pretending to be Samuel Beckett or whatever.
What it is is 3 1/2 hours of quality cinema, directed by the master of gangster genre, Martin Scorsese and starring the formidable Robert de Niro and Al Pacino, with the equally impressive Jo Pesci levered out of retirement.
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| Got another job for you Frank.. Easy one. Just some wannabe film critic down under. |
Meanwhile there is the story of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino) and how his life become's involved with Frank's and Russell's.
It meanders a bit and you sense a bit of editing wouldn't hurt but who'd be bold enough to tell Scorsese that?
There are some very moving and telling scenes, not least between Frank's daughter and Frank's boss Russell, and his pain in being unable to relate to kids.
Depending on your personal taste, the dialogue will be a joy to listen to or the most irritating shit you've ever heard. At times I had to ask myself, is this a bunch of actors goofing around or the screen writers serious attempt to move the genre into absurdism? The fish in the car scene is probably the most telling example. But its also an insight as to why it's so so indulgently (unnecessarily?) long. Never mind the practicalities, what fun we are having pretending to be Samuel Beckett or whatever.
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