The Irishman – thoughts on the acting and storytelling

I just finished watching the Irishman for probably the 4th time this week now.

Some have been saying they had to watch the film on 2 or 3 viewings before they could finish the it. And I honestly couldnt blame them. The film was 3 and a half hours long.

I get that there is hype surrounding the movie which led people to watch it out of curiosity. I love that it got its hype because it surely deserved it.

I knew people are going to complain that it was too long, or the movie played out some scenes which could have been trimmed, and it surely pisses me off. A true fan of Scorsese would watch the film and think, ‘that was too short’.

That’s why I dont urge people to see it. I want them to see it because the plot intrigues them, not because of the high praises it gets from critics and avid fans of the genre. You wouldnt enjoy the Irishman if you only want to see it because of the hype. Might as well waste 3 and a half hours of your life doing some other thing.

Anyway, what I really want to talk about the film is the genius of building the world, which Scorsese is too good at doing. Probably the best, in my opinion.

I have read the book, and the reason I have read it is only because of the film. I wouldnt know about the book if it wasnt for the film. And let me tell you, it was one hell of a book.

This was an almost accurate depiction of the book. If you want a more detailed story, read the source material. It applies to all, I guess.

The world I entered in the book perfectly translated into the film, which is why I enjoyed it more. The film didnt include Frank Sheeran’s younger stories about his childhood, or his much more detailed war story. The film focused on the three main characters: Frank Sheeran, Jimmy Hoffa and Russel Buffalino.

When I saw De Niro and Pesci was in this with Scorsese, I was sold already. Pacino was a very huge incentive.

The three legends was nothing short of spectacular in this film. I cant say this guy did better, because they all did a marvelous job portraying their characters.

De Niro played the guy torned between two close friends of him to perfection.

Pesci played the silent mob boss, quite the opposite to the roles we got accustomed to him playing in Goodfellas and Casino, but he surely gave me the same intimidation nonetheless.

Pacino played the charismatic and eccentric leader fueled by revenge from the people that wronged him, but at the same time being able to be the nicest and most caring friend.

I couldnt ask for more. I havent even included Keitel, Romano, Cannavale, Graham and Paquin. All of them became the characters they were playing.

They all perfectly synced up on the world Scorsese envisioned. Its a slower paced film compared to Goodfellas and Casino, but this, in my opinion, is the best story told among the three.

We are given an immersed view of the relationship of the main characters, and how powerful they truly were back then. That was one of the good things about the movie. It was necessary. None of the scenes in the movie felt dragged to me. It effectively build up the tension and the value of the story.

Another thing I liked about it is Paquin’s character. There has been controversies over the lack of dialogue her character was given, but not everyone is looking at how well she gave us inaudible dialogues through her actions. She didnt have to say a word to let us know how much she despises her father. And I loved it.

I was waiting for them to talk, probably sort things out before Sheeran’s inevitable death, but they didnt. She wouldnt. And that made Sheeran’s death even more sadder. He entered a life where he had to choose, and the choices he made ended up making him a lonely old man waiting for his death.

Paquin couldnt have done it any better. Bravo.

I personally adored Romano for a while now. There is something about him that is easily likeable. So, no matter how he acted in this film, I could forgive it. But I never expected him to be able to hold up his own against the legends he was working with. I felt that he had the most lines after the De Niro, Pesci and Pacino, and it all felt perfectly delivered. Well done, Ray Romano. You have outdone yourself once again.

Also, Cannavale and Graham, with their little time on the film, gave me the best performance I saw them play. I agree, the two should have had more screen time, but having read the source material, they were given the right amount of time. Its me wishful thinking, but I am looking forward to seeing both of them back on a Scorsese film in the future.

The film concluded on Hoffa’s death. The minutes before his inevitable death was the hardest and most painful moments of the film. De Niro’s Frank Sheeran gave me the chills when he refused to believe his good, almost best friend Jimmy Hoffa was to be put down, and hearing it from, also his good friend, almost a father figure Russel Buffalino. Those scenes were tense, and they couldnt have achieved it if they didnt progress the story the way they have. Those final Hoffa scenes justified the runtime of the film. Everything was necessary.

To summarize, the film is one of the best films I have ever seen. I will continue watching it from time to time and still feel as if I am watching it the first time.

I hope that someday, we get another director with the same vision and drive as Martin Scorsese.

An acting presence of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino comes once in a lifetime, but I sure hope to God we get another set of these kind of actors.

Gansgter and mob films are a dying breed of films. I hope it doesnt stay that way. I hope the audience’s attention span is not limited to high budgeted CGI films.

This is probably the last film we will get to see from Scorsese, De Niro, Pesci and Pacino, but I sure do pray to every God there is that we get another group of guys that would continue their legacy.

The Irishman, 10 out of 10.