The Irishman

There are some director´s who have a special kind of magic in making films. They know exactly how they want to develope their films, what cast they need to make the film great, and how to develope an interesting story. One of the director´s i am especially thinking about is without a doubt Martin Scorsese. This man have made so many fantastic films, i could probably talk about almost all of them. But i decided to pick out two films i especially enjoy for different reasons. Let us begin with the 1983 film known as The King Of Comedy. This was actually a box office failure back in the day when this film was released in cinemas, but critics enjoyed this film. For me personally, i feel that this is one of the films that you need to see to appreciate the work of Martin Scorsese. The story of Rupert Pipkin ( brilliant played by legendary actor Robert De Niro ), who is a struggling stand up comedian, who worships Jerry Langford ( played really good by Jerry Williams ), a famous late night TV show host. It becomes clear that Rupert is addicted to becoming a friend of Jerry, and everything falls apart. The King Of Comedy shows you the dark side of showbusiness, and what happens when mentally ill people go too far. And i have to say director Martin Scorsese have found an effective way to show that not everything is glamorous in showbiz. The next film that comes to my mind is the 2010 film Shutter Island, a really well made psychological thriller with a fantastic cast including Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and many more. Shutter Island is a very powerful film, that is acually really clever with a surprise twist towards the end. Leonardo Di Caprio as the character Teddy Daniels, is a performance that you will be affected by. Leonardo goes into his role with full power, and he knows exactly how to portrait this character in a very detailed way. I have been hearing for years about Martin Scorseses upcoming film The Irishman, and it seemed like it would take some time before the film would be released. And finally it landed on Netflix in the end of November 2019. I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this film. Is this the best film from director Martin Scorsese in many years, or is it time for him to retire for good ?

Frank Sheeran ( Robert De Niro ), sits in his wheelchair in a retirement home. He remembers his days as an hitman for the mafia. He started in Philadelphia in the 1950´s, as a delivery truck driver. Frank starts selling some of the contents of the shipments to local gangster Felix " Skinny Razor " DiTullio ( Bobby Cannavale ). After his company accuses him of theft, union lawyer Bill Bufaliano ( Ray Romano ) gets him off, after Sheeran refuses to give the judge names of his customers. Bill introduce Frank to his cousin Russell Bufalino ( Joe Pesci ), the head of the Northern Pennsylvania crime family. Frank begins to work for Russell and members of the local South Philadelphia underworld. Soon, Russell introduce Frank to Jimmy Hoffa ( Al Pacino ), the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who has financial ties with the Bufalino crime family and is struggling to deal with fellow rising Teamster Anthony " Tony Pro " Provenzano ( Stephen Graham ), as well as mountaing pressure from the federal government. Hoffa becomes a close friend with Frank and his family, and he is chosen to be Hoffa´s chief bodyguard on the road. Over the years to come, Frank is about to be involved in many criminal activities, and experience some very life changing moments, that may end his career for good.

I had a feeling that The Irishman would be a special experience, with such an amazing cast joining together in this film such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel and many more. But most of all, the fact that this film brings back the same feeling of Martin Scorsese previous gangster films. This is a film made for Scorsese fans, and if you love his classic films then you are in for a big treat. The Irishman is really long, around 3 hours and 29 minutes, so if you don´t like really long films then you will probably not enjoy this film. But the good news is, even if this film is really long, this is a very well made film. The way director Martin Scorsese tells the story of Frank Sheeran ( brilliant played by Robert De Niro ) and everyone he got involved with over many years, is very fascinating and interesting. It becomes clear that Frank did what he was told to do, a very loyal hitman. Robert De Niro knows exactly how to portrait this character in his own uniqe way. But there are so many more actors i need to mention. Al Pacino who plays Jimmy Hoffa, makes one of his best performances in many years in this film. Pacino grabs you by the nuts with his powerful dialogue, and twist them around, and you still want him to continue. Joe Pesci who plays the character Russel Bufalino also makes one of his best performances in many years in this film. In fact, this may be one of the best performances i have seen Joe Pesci do since Goodfellas, so that is 30 years ago. Harvey Keitel is magical in his performance as Angelo Bruno, and i am really grateful to see him in such a powerful role. Considering that The Irishman tells the story for so many years, i think director Martin Scorsese have done a wonderful job with telling this story in a simple but effective way. There are several historical events brought up in here, and they all go together so well with the main story. The mob look of the film feels really well designed, with everything from the clothes, cars, and the cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto. Martin Scorsese also manage to give you his view on the mob families, with his own unique style. If this is the final film from Martin Scorsese with all of these legendary actors, then this is a worthy end to a very long legacy of wonderful films. The Irishman gives you a full taste of satisfaction, and bring back memories of the good old days of cinema magic. A must see on Netflix for everyone who appreciate quality films.

Rating: DDDD