Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Irishman’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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We are taught when we are young, that we should go hard in everything we do in life and take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. Because in doing so, we never miss out on the wild twists and turns that life sometimes drops into our laps, and more importantly, we will be recognized in whatever career we so choose. Which will in turn allow for us to enjoy a comfortable and wonderful life where we can raise a family if we so choose and never have a care in the world because we work hard and earn our stripes on a daily basis. But unfortunately for all of us, we eventually come to learn that those particular lessons aren’t exactly true.
 
For sometimes dedicating one’s self to a job that may or may not value you, over anything else, leads to its own measure of unhappiness. Because some ‘careers’ prompt us to work hard out of fear of losing our job and pouring in that many hours to appease the boss can also prompt a family man or woman to stay away from the people, they cherish the most. But what’s more chilling is the sheer fact that sometimes the twists and turns that come our way, lead us down dark paths that are filled with heartbreak and loss and really the lesson inherent here is to find a path that offers balance and fulfillment, otherwise disaster might strike, and it just so happens that both of these grim elements are explored in great detail in Martin Scorsese’s latest gangster offering, The Irishman.
 
Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a man named Frank Sheeran, who takes the time to chronicle his unexpected career change from truck driver to mob hitman and how he helped to bring down Jimmy Hoffa back in the day and well, that simple plot summary doesn’t do this particular film justice in the slightest because this truly is an incredible masterpiece. For director Martin Scorsese takes the time to provide us with a sweeping journey, one that truly does chronicle Frank’s rise to gangster fame and how his dedication to the mob over anything else shapes his life in heartbreaking fashion and well, it is this exploration of Frank’s dedication to the wrong kind of job that makes this movie such a fascinating venture. 

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​Because we truly watch Frank lose himself within the glamour and the glitz of the mob, all because it poses him the opportunity to provide a comfortable life for his family, specifically his daughters. But what he is ill prepared for is the fact that the secrecy that comes from his work and the need to drop everything to put someone down, creates a rift between him and his baby girls, leaving him in vulnerable and lonely places as the film rolls on and his isolation is only further brought about when he’s forced to make the tough choice to put down Hoffa, who is in many ways his best friend in the whole wide world. And I love the fact that this movie dives so deep into how dedication and loyalty to the wrong things can backfire since that is something that I honestly don’t see in gangster themed movies that often and that makes the ending of this film supremely bleak and powerful.
 
Yet a movie of this sweeping nature and epic run time don’t work in the slightest without a powerhouse cast to mesmerize you along the way, and thankfully this film features an incredible cadre of actors. In fact, this is truly a who’s who of Scorsese flicks since his usual go-to guys are present here. After all, Joe Pesci returns to the subgenre he in essence helped to put on the map and he is delightful and powerful in his role as Russell Buffalino and his sublime presence here serves as the anchor to everything in the story and he is beautifully contrasted by Al Pacino’s manic and powerhouse performance as Jimmy Hoffa, one which is wonderfully enhanced by some unexpected humility. But truly the centerpiece of this cast is Robert DeNiro, who plays Frank, and this is DeNiro at his finest. Since he once again plays the everyman in an odd place with the zest and zeal that only he can, and his ability to take us on a nearly sixty-year journey in one man’s life and properly sell every single phase of it is a monumental accomplishment in his already storied career.
 
However, I would be remiss to not talk about the one thing that has everyone buzzing in this film, which would be the special effects, since our trio are digitally de-aged before our eyes here and honestly, I feel this effect worked like a charm. Because it really does sell the grandiose life journey that we go on with these characters and there’s an odd sense of nostalgia in seeing this trio back in their prime so to speak and honestly, I don’t think the story would have worked well without this effect since it helps to sell several important moments. In the end however, this is a must-see film for cinephiles and lovers of the gangster genre and in all honestly, I would venture to say that this is Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus. Because this really is the finest gangster film he’s ever made and thankfully with it being on Netflix, we can now pick apart this masterpiece and savor every last moment because this one, really is something special and powerful, since it draws you into a life and a world that the vast majority of us know nothing about. 

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