The IRISHMAN

Starring: Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Anna Pacquin & Ray Romano

Directed By Martin Scorsese / Written By Steven Zaillan

By R. Paul Dhillon

You can watch The Irishman on Netflix in a couple of sittings (at 3 and half hours – you need a break mentally and physically to digest everything) or you can watch it in the theatre where it should still be playing. I watched it both at the Whistler Film Festival and on Netflix.

The film is truly a sprawling epic mob tale that, like the Godfather trilogy did, tries to weave in American politics, history and the ever pervasive impact of the mafia on American society in the 1960-70s. 

It succeeds on all counts, although not as affectively as the Godfather films did. But it’s impact comes from director Martin Scorsese’s cinematic genius and a Steven Zaillan’s screenplay that takes its time with its sordid cast of criminals and killers. 

Even at 3 plus hours, The Irishman is captivating and extremely watchable because Scorsese unleashes his directorial magic and pulls the viewer in with his brand of story-telling which he’s perfected over his previous mob epics – Good Fellas and Casino. You are truly in the hands of a master who guides you into the sordid tale of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (Robert Deniro), a war veteran-turned meat truck driver who begins Painting Houses (killing people) after developing a close friendship with mob boss Russell Buffalino (Joe Pesci). 

And eventually the storied American Union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) enters the picture and the drama unfolds with these three screen Titans, exposing the dirty laundry of American crime and politics, everything from Hoffa lending union pension funds to the mob for Vegas casinos to bribing Richard Nixon with half a million skimmed from mob owned casinos. 

Meanwhile Sheeran does the dirty work of killing people and disposing of the corpses for the mob and Hoffa. And then Sheeran turns the gun on his friend and union mentor Hoffa after the Mob says “It is what it is”! 

Sheeran doesn’t want to do it but Hoffa gives him no choice, his ego and bravado getting the best of him. Hoffa feels he’s superior to the mob and thar he has enough on them to send them to hell several times over.

 Based on Charles Brandt’s book I Heard You Paint Houses (it refers to the blood stains left from the brutal killings), written from Sheeran’s death-bed It’s confessions, The Irishman tells a true-life story, in which Sheeran who pulled the trigger on Hoffa and then the mob put Hoffa’a corpse in a cremation oven to Never be seen again. 

Hoffa remains a figure imbedded in American psyche to this day and the film cements his sordid legacy. 

Veterans Deniro, Pacino and Pesci put on an acting tour-we-force in bringing their characters to life with absolutely impressive and accomplished performances. This is a film that every actor should see. Especially the performance of Deniro, who acts so much with his eyes and facial expressions to convey the psychology of Sherman, creating  a powerful performance with minimal dialogue. 

Much has been made about Anna Pacquin not getting enough lines as Sheeran’s daughter Peggy but watching the film, her minimal dialogue and silence is so powerful that more dialogue would diminish her character and the power she brings to this story. 

No doubt, the Crown in his mob trilogy, The Irishman is another absolute masterpiece by Scorsese and for me this year’s Best Film!

R. Paul Dhillon is an award winning journalist and the editor of the South Asian LINK newspaper and founder-editor of the online DESIBUZZCanada and DESIBUZZbc publications. He is also a renowned filmmaker with over 40 production credits on documentaries and feature films. His recent feature romantic comedy THE FUSION GENERATION was released in Canadian theatres in August 2019.