Elevator Pitch Review- The Irishman

People complain that movies are getting too long, but it takes balls to go beyond past the three hour mark and still keep your audience watching. The Irishman feels less like a movie and more like a West End theatre show with how well paced and enjoyable it is to watch, even without an intermission. Clearly Scorsese understands that in order to make your story come across to an everyday audience you need the right energy from your actors, and you don't get more energy and charm than from De Niro, Pacino and Pesci. Seeing Al Pacino and Joe Pesci return to the character studies that made them famous was a rollercoaster ride in of itself. Although I hate to say it but Robert De Niro was the weakest link in the cast along with Stephen Grahams excuse of a New Yorker accent. This wasn't because of De Niro's performance or delivery, but rather his portrayal as young mid thirties De Niro with face capture. Now I understand that getting two actors to play the same character of different ages might take you out of the moment, but now that De Niro is 76 years old, you can't expect him to beat up people the way he did when he was in Goodfellas or Taxi Driver. Its like if instead of De Niro portraying Vito Corleone in Godfather 2, you had Marlon Brando looking like Terry Malloy except moving like a 60 year old.


Yet that is the only major concern, since when he his back to old man Frank and his road trip it feels genuine and realistic. In fact since Scorsese is back in his element, his control over the various locations across Frank Sheeran's life is like a dealer shuffling his deck of cards. Each moment in his history feels fresh and detailed, while bringing up important factual events, relating them to our current social climate. This film along with Tarantino's Once upon a Time in Hollywood are clear statements that the classic epic scale of film that goes beyond the average 2 hour mark is still widely celebrated, if done correctly. Scorsese also uses this lengthy run time to delve into the finer details of scenes that don't usually get attention. Seeing Sheeran in his frail elderly state by the end, while at times feeling too drawn out, felt deserved and required. And as always, the dialogue is a joy beyond its visuals. Scorsese can capture a conversation with realistic ease in his actors, giving a sense of realism that most directors fail to acquire. Going back to my original point, if this film proves anything its that a films runtime should always be up to the directors preference. These days directors always follow the 3 act structure and aim for an average 2 hour runtime, no matter what detail the story desires. Scorsese proves that even 3 hours can fly by when you make every scene and dialogue choice count. Overall, this is a merging of the young up an coming rebel Scorsese and the successful, glamorous approach of age and fame of Scorsese today. A perfect combination of ambition and passion.

Film Grade- A