This one is a bit different for Scorsese. Yes, it's about organized crime. Yes, it has De Niro and Pesci. But this time we throw in Pacino for good measure. And, more interestingly, the arc here is not just a storied event, although there is a main event, but an entire life. It is long -- three and a half hours - and it probably should have been shorter, or longer and a trilogy, or perhaps a mini-series.
To summarize, in the first third of the movie we follow the rise of Frank Sheeran -- an ambitious, corrupt, delivery truck driving tough guy (De Niro) as he climbs in rank in the mob to enforcer and hitman. The second part sees him essentially go on loan to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino) with whom he develops a bond. In third part Hoffa goes so far off the rails that the De Niro character is ordered by the mob boss (Pesci) to kill Hoffa.
Along the way we are treated to dramatized drive-bys to many mob mythologies: Kennedy being made president by the mob who are then responsible for his assassination, the Bay of Pigs being an attempt to save all the mob investments in Havana, and of course Hoffa's murder. We are also given a glimpse into the effect mob life on the families, especially through the eyes of Sheeran's daughters.
I'll take this opportunity to point out the women play a very small role in this movie. As do any minorities. It's a story almost exclusive of white men, mostly old ones at that. If that bothers you, you should not watch it. If you watch it even though it bothers you, you can't say you weren't warned so at least admit you chose to be bothered. The nice thing about Netflix is your right to press "exit" on your remote and pick something else to watch.
In the canon of Scorsese mob films, this is more contemplative. It breaks no truly new ground -- in fact, I hold a minor suspicion that Scorsese had the idea to remake The Godfather in his image -- the choice of the mob life, the costs beyond the violence, and regrets at the end, all without the Coppola romanticism.
This leads to another interesting aspect of the film: bringing Pacino into the mix with De Niro and Pesci. De Niro is De Niro. He plays a solid, multi-layered character, but it's not a stretch for him. Pacino is well known to have had pretty much one character since Scent of a Woman -- a mildly unhinged, flamboyant loudmouth. That how he plays Hoffa, and it fits since that's what Hoffa was. The real standout is Pesci. Here he plays the opposite of the profane psycho role he normally takes. Instead he's a wizened, hyper-competent mob boss, a figure of respect, in fact, almost like Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone in reputation.
The Irishman is a terrific movie. Scorsese still makes terrific movies. It's human heart is on display, the lack of which is the thing he decried about superhero movies so he's practicing what he preaches. If he's not shaking up the world with Taxi Driver or Mean Streets anymore, he's still one of the great ones. The Irishman is proof.
