Rent The Irishman (2019)

Excellent - The Irishman review by SG

A great 'old school' film that keeps you watching from beginning to end. Well made, well directed, with a very talented cast. More of this standard please!

Highly Recommended - The Irishman review by GI

Martin Scorsese's return to the gangster genre doesn't disappoint although this isn't the adrenaline rush of Goodfellas (1990) and is a more contemplative story. Robert De Niro is Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman who we first meet as a very old man in a nursing home recounting his life and relationship with mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci in a stunning performance) and eventually with notorious union boss Jimmy Hoffa (a typically shouty performance from Al Pacino). Sheeran expresses both regret and conviction in detailing the murders he commits told in various lengthy flashbacks. And length maybe an issue as this is Scorsese's longest film to date coming in at three and a half hours. That might be an issue for some and the film can feel like it's dragging at times. But the weight of the performances and the sudden, shocking violence keeps you watching. The story and disappearance of Hoffa has become almost a mythological issue in the US and this film offers an answer to the mystery and one to which the narrative builds but it's in the subtleties of the film that it's brilliance is to be found, such as Sheeran's relationship with his daughter Peggy (Anna Paquin) who soon sees what her father is and remains coldly distant from him which affects Sheeran deeply and the conflict between Hoffa and Tony Pro (Stephen Graham who exudes restrained violence always ready to explode at any moment). These are moments and scenes which mark this as a major work. This is not Scorsese's best film by any stretch but it's certainly a worthy one and I highly recommend it.

Why? - The Irishman review by NP

When I ordered this, I was aware of the mixed reviews but being a fan of the director and the cast, I thought it was a must-see.

Well, it still is a must-see I guess but I'm not going to shower it with praise. Superb acting? Should hope so. Excellent direction? Naturally. Cinematography, scenery, attention to detail - yep it's all there in bucketloads.

So what's my issue? Well there are two mainly:

1. No matter how good or expensive your post production is, you just cannot make this cast look half their age, not without asking for a huge suspension of disbelief - it's just too distracting. Choose different actors! Is The Godfather trilogy a lesser body of work because it uses different actors? Of course not. Which brings me to:

2. I cannot understand why an accomplished director like Scorsese felt the need to rip off not only the aforementioned films (one or two scenes are virtually pastiche) but also his own great works.

I can't give it 1 star as that would be insulting but this is certainly not a masterpiece. 

Hoffa Hit - The Irishman review by NO

Quite good story but rather too long.I had never heard the phrase-Paint houses before only whacks & hits.Both Al & Robert are re ally getting past it to play younger versions

of their characte rs.Didnt explain what happened to the body-it has never been found.Interesting how it showed that in real life what became of the gangsters they nearly all

were murdered.W ellworth watching b ut it should have been cut shorter.

Very good, a lot of believable issues. - The Irishman review by Joe

Even today Hoffa is still referred to as a gangster. He was a man that believed in the unions, and supported the rights working people. In the USA and elsewhere, when 42 workers and myself were on trial in London, after being attacked by Police outside the Hendon Police Station, after walking 474 miles in a campaign for 'The Right to Work'. We had more support from the Unions in the USA than those in the UK, because the Government at the time (1976), was a Labour Party Government, nurses , teachers and doctors could not find work and even students nurses were losing their job because they passed their exams. The real gangsters were those in government, and many in the UK trade unions, had no interest in anyone but themselves. Even it the USA a real gangster family the Kennedy's were running the country, but they were not constantly being identified as what they were, from Gangster's background, with lots of Gangster friends.

3.5 hour bloated mess. - The Irishman review by AR

As with most recent Scorsese films there is a genuinely good film in here desperately trying to escape out from underneath a self-indulgent tangle. For starters it’s far too long and drags considerably in some places. Someone also needs to remind Mr Scorsese that in a visual medium you should show rather than tell a story and to therefore cut down on the interminable and uninteresting drawn out dialogue which adds nothing.

There were plot lines and characters thrown in which were dealt with and discarded and never mentioned again which simply added to the length and confused the main story. The jumping about in time was jarring and distracting as were the bizarre little freeze frame title cards that came with the introduction of various minor characters who had no bearing on the plot. 

And unfortunately the cast were simply not up to the majority of it. De Niro and Pesci often looked bored and tired while Pacino who did actually manage to add some life simply shouted his way through the whole film. And whoever thought the deaging process was a good idea should’ve been fired on the spot. First of all it didn’t work well and was very dodgy at times but more importantly you cannot use it to alter the way bodies move. De Niro’s movements always looked like an old man’s even when he was supposed to be portraying someone younger which made it look ridiculous especially during fight scenes. Age appropriate actors would’ve been far better.

This could’ve been an excellent film and there were seeds of it in there. The main storyline, when it wasn’t messed about with, was intriguing and De Niro and Pesci were very good when portraying the characters in their later years. Those aspects prevented this from being a one star review.

I cannot fathom why people enjoyed this so much and can only assume it’s because Scorsese’s previous reputation shields him. But Goodfellas essentially covers the same ground and does it far better. Watch that and give this one a miss.