The gang is back together
“The Irishman” reunites Scorsese regulars.
One month and countless Marvel headlines later, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” is finally here.
Ever since the sprawling gangster epic premiered at New York Film Festival in late September, most of the news around the film has centered on Scorsese’s contentious comments about Marvel movies, saying they’re “not cinema” and “we shouldn’t be invaded by it.”
But with “Irishman” opening in theaters Friday in New York and Los Angeles, ahead of its streaming launch on Netflix Nov. 27, the conversation will hopefully steer back to the movie itself, which is a stunning return to the crime genre for the master behind “Goodfellas,” “Mean Streets” and “Casino.”
“Irishman” reunites Scorsese with actors from all three of those films. Based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” the decades-spanning story follows Army veteran Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who starts working as a hit man for mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) in the 1950s. Al Pacino is a scenestealer as Jimmy Hoffa, a corrupt labor leader and Frank’s friend, while Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano and Jesse Plemons round out the star-studded cast.
Here’s everything you need to know before seeing it:
It will be a formidable Oscar contender
Scorsese and his three leads have a combined five Oscar wins and 29 nominations among them – the most recent of those victories being Scorsese, who earned best director for “The Departed” in 2007. The academy will naturally be eager to honor these legendary film giants, and with stellar reviews (99% positive from more than 90 critics on Rotten Tomatoes), “Irishman” seems like a worthy reason to earn them an Oscar.
So how far will it go? Despite initial reluctance from academy voters to honor streaming movies, Netflix successfully mounted a robust campaign for Spanish-language film “Roma” at the most recent Oscars, collecting three statues, including best director (for Alfonso Cuaron). The more-accessible
“Irishman” is now considered a lock by most prognosticators on awards site GoldDerby.com for best picture, director and adapted screenplay nominations.
The acting categories are where it gets tricky. De Niro delivers a shattering, career-best performance as Frank, who grapples with his violent past and old age in the film’s haunting final act. But his reticent character mostly follows orders and reacts to those around him, giving De Niro a less showier role than fellow front-runners Joaquin Phoenix
(”Joker”) and Adam Driver (”Marriage Story”).
Pacino and Pesci are expected to duke it out for best supporting actor, and could easily both earn nominations if they don’t somehow cancel each other out. Which performance voters prefer will all come down to a matter of taste: Although heartbreaking in moments, Pacino’s performance as Jimmy is broader and funnier, with towering scenes and memorable one-liners that are made for Oscar clips. But critics have championed the more understated work from Pesci, whose ruthless but melancholic Russell is a father figure to Frank.
The de-aging looks much better than expected
“Irishman” was made for roughly $150 million, according to Deadline – a staggering figure for an intimate character study with no huge action set pieces or exotic shooting locations.
Much was spent on Scorsese’s longtouted digital de-aging technology, developed by George Lucas’ visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, specifically for this film. Scorsese used De Niro’s performance in 1990’s “Goodfellas” as a model for young Frank Sheeran, who ages from his mid-20s to early 80s over the course of “Irishman.”
Admittedly, the de-aged De Niro is quite distracting at first, and this reporter had to stifle laughter during an early scene when Pesci’s Russell repeatedly calls him “kid.” But even if you’re never quite convinced that Frank is an industrious young buck, one quickly forgets that the actors’ faces have been digitally altered (a credit to the central trio’s captivating performances throughout, and the minimal-yet-effective CGI).
It’s 31⁄2 hours long, so plan ahead
We know what many are thinking: Does any movie really need to be 31⁄2 hours? (For reference, that’s eight minutes longer than De Niro and Pacino’s 1974 gangster classic “The Godfather: Part II,” and 28 minutes longer than this past summer’s “Avengers: Endgame.”)
Having seen “Irishman” twice now, this reporter can truthfully say that although the film doesn’t fly by, the protracted run time feels justified and has a rich emotional payoff. Just skip the large soda if you’re worried about missing any of it.
That said, if nature does call, and with no intermission, you might be wondering when one can safely duck out for a few minutes. We’d recommend about an hour and a half in, right after – minor spoilers! – a major character gets arrested and sent to prison. The film’s nail-biting second half doesn’t truly get underway until that person’s release, at which point, you’ll be glued to your seat until the credits roll.