The Irishman

Peoples are losing their minds over the sainted director, forgetting the movie. Sure, it's well made, fascinating history. But it's second nature for De Niro, and Pacino overreaches at times. The third reel is repetitive over the decline of the De Niro character. Would be a better movie at 2hr 30. In fact, I thought it had ended about then, but it meandered on another hour.

First off, let me set this straight that I'm not repeled by long or slow films. However, The Irishman is at the very least 30-40 minutes too long, and the suspense sometimes is killed off by characters dragging the scene too much. The biggest offender would be the second last arc which I'm not gonna spoil.

Secondly, for such a slow film you'd expect the pay off to be worth it, but it isn't. The message of the film is revealed very early on, and it's very obvious where this particular plot line is going to. These 2 factors (slow pace and obvious plotline) make the film feels particularly unrewarding to me.

Third is the lack of the 'wow' factor, which is disappointing for such a godlike cast and crew. There is not a single memorable scene or line that stands out for me, despite the actors all doing a phenomenal job. And no, I don't really mind the CGI, even though it's not the best thing since sliced bread. The music is not memorable either, even though it can be an artistic choice to make the film feels more grounded and unglamorous.

So where does this leave us? Personally I don't think this is a bad film, but it feels disappointing with such a big roster. Don't expect this to be the film to watch with friends over, as it's pretty (unneccessarily) lengthy and the undertone is meant to be a heavy one.

Some might hate it but here is a little bit of truth about the Irishman, against the 8s and the 9s and the 10s: It is a "Too long didn't read" kind of movie. What is the reason of this enormous more-than-three-hours runtime? Probably to enjoy as much as possible Pesci, Pacino and De Niro working together. But folks, this time has come and gone... Goodfellas, Casino etc. and anything Scorcese did is amazing. But getting mob-type genre back in play in 2020 needs a bit of a twist and taste for the different audiences. 3' 24" is outrageously long and slow even for the fanatics. I watched it on Netflix and it took 2 days to go through the movie. Very slow character development, which is absolutely not necessary, as we as audiences are already trained in this genre. If you don't like this mob-type genre and these actors, there is almost no chance you would watch this movie or you 'd drop it after half an hour. Only plus is the good acting of course and the great directing but...if you are new to this genre, start from the classics! 6/10

Other reviewers at the top, when sorted by Helpfulness, have already covered much of what makes this film so exceptionally good. As such, and knowing that I have a tendency to sometimes exceed the number of allowed characters, I'd like to add just a couple of small things.

First, the sets and costuming were near perfection. Every SINGLE piece of clothing which the characters wore, down to cuff-links, handbags, hair pins and shoes were of the era. That kind of meticulous detail can only bode well for a film. If the creators care enough about the small details, imagine what they do with the big ones.

Secondly, in many films now, where there is a well-known and varied cast, you find that the screen time each devotes in comparison to the film run time, really leaves a little to be desired. That is not the case here. Almost every second of every scene is filled with one or more of these masterful actors, actually acting. Performing. Pulling you in to the world they are creating. All, without the need of heavy CGI or filler. As Hoffa might say: they get right down to brass tacks - and, pardon the pun, deliver.

DeNiro, Pacino, Pesci, Keitel. Enough said. Leave politics at the door, and enjoy.

Excellent film all around.

I don't know where to start on this one other than thanking Netflix for being the only distributor to fund this movie so we could see Big screen legends take their last big swing. The set and screen is smaller than I liked it to be, it being released on a streaming site but it's better than never seeing it.

It's not a flawless movie and I wouldn't necessarily call it a masterpiece or something new and innovative. But for an old genre gangsta flick it's easily one of the best ones out there.

The plot is a lot like Godfather 2 from De Niros perspective but that's all there is. It is more grounded and far too subtle compared to Goodfellas. And that's a good thing considering the age of the lead actors in the movie. But that doesn't mean its dull, gray and dreary because it isn't. It is surprisingly humorous, has some very serious scenes and doesn't shy away from giving us a blast of nostalgia every now and then.

The cinematography is quite different from the usual modern movies we are accustomed to. It doesn't have an overabundance of Wes Anderson symmetric shots or Roger Deakins like Wide angle shots. The film was shot in a very old timey way with the camera pans and edits. The editing in the movie is great and the score is fitting. Technical aspects considered it isn't innovative or something jawdropping, but that was never supposed to be the main focus of the movie.

The main focus for me was absolutely the acting. And why wouldn't it be with a cast like this? Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the 1st time on screen together since Heat. Joe Pesci and De Niro since Goodfellas. Joe Pesci coming out of retirement and Martin Scorsese directing all these legends on screen together! If this doesn't get you excited for this film then I'm afraid nothing will.

Speaking of acting my god do they act! Robert De Niro gives his best performance in his older age with this. Joaquin Phoenix was a top contender for best Actor Oscar and I agreed with that but after watching THE IRISHMAN everything changed. Robert De Niro basically steals his Oscar like a gangsta and gives the best performance of the year so far. Old Bobby here still giving top notch actors a run for their money and the guy is 76 years old!

When was the last time you saw Al Pacino give a really good performance? Well that's exactly what he does here and it feels so good to see him find his glory days. He is his usual shouty self but shines better when he tones it down and let expressions speak.

And boy have I missed Joe Pesci over the years and don't worry he's still intense as usual. And that's weird considering he is extremely toned down in this movie. If you're looking for a violent Joe Pesci like he was in Goodfellas you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for an intimidating Pesci with a huge presence then you're in the right place.

Harvey Keitel is in the movie for a very short time but he did his job fantastically. Ray Romano was a surprising standout and I can't believe how he kept up on the same plane as some of these industry legends. He doesn't really have a bigger role and basically gets lost as the film progresses but he made the most of his screentime.

The film is 3hours and 30 minutes long but it never felt that long honestly. The first 2 hours went by a breeze but the 3rd hour was unapologetically slow. It felt a bit dragged on during the final hour and felt it was skipping ahead at the same time. it wasn't boring in any way but felt it could've been handled better. The CGI de-aging is so good that after a while you get confused how old the lead actors actually are. This is the best de-aging tech I've ever seen honestly.

Despite it being slow in the latter end it still is a fantastic film. It doesn't set out to do something different, it doesn't try to set it aside from the herd. Scorsese did what he does best and made the movie he wanted to make. Its more of a last big hurrah for these living legends than something out to be a flawless masterpiece. It will most likely be the last of its kind and also the last collaboration of Scorsese with these acting legends. Considering the time we are in this might as well be the last Scorsese film, it most definitely is the last Joe Pesci appearance in a movie and the last good mobster hit with genre legends like Al Pacino and De Niro. So enjoy it while you can and savor it. Remember this movie 10 years from now and rejoice that you were alive to witness something truly fantastic. THE IRISHMAN is a farewell for most of these legends and a loveletter to the genre. It's the last of its kind and it went out in true mobster style.