The Irishman2019

Scorses-a-thon “When I was young, I thought house painters painted houses. What did I know? I was a working guy. A business agent for Teamster Local 107 out of South Philly. One of a thousand working stiffs... until I wasn't no more. And then I started painting houses... myself.” The gangs all back together. This truly is a family reunion with even Harvey Keitel back in the fold. And I think for that it’s worth it, but maybe only for real Scorseseheads. There’s not a lot of flash here, and it’s a pretty straightforward recounting of events. There’s a little playing with time in the beginning, but by the halfway point, that’s all done. It’s just kind of dry. In some ways, it’s clearly going for the Goodfellas thing, and it really has that feeling in the beginning, but it just loses steam.  I never disliked the movie, but I don’t know if it needed to be three and a half hours long. I think if it was sub-three, it would play better. But all in all, it is in line with Scorsese’s other films. I just don’t feel as strongly for this as I do toward them.  Despite many Scorsese films being historical or based on true events, this one feels especially like a history lesson. I’m just not as connected to the characters for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the length or the subject matter or just the Netflix of it all. But there’s just not a lot to latch onto.  Really, the only thing is Frank’s relationship with Jimmy Hoffa. That’s the core of the movie, and it’s the only time any real emotion or heart is felt. You can see these guys cared for each other, and it makes what happens so tragic. And maybe that’s the point. Like the early Scorsese films, this is about how you’re taught and how you’re raised. If you’re raised up in a time when men don’t show emotion and you paint houses for a living, what’s another drop in the bucket? Even if it’s someone you care about. Because if you don’t do your job, then it’s you whose life will be in danger.  But Frank doesn’t ever come to terms with it. He can’t talk about it. And seemingly feels no remorse, whether that’s true or not, I can’t say. He’s a man who still, at the end of his life after everyone is gone, still lives in fear. Fear of shame and fear for the reputation of his family.  So there are a few footholds into the heart of this film, but I think not enough to truly connect to it.  On a technical level, I was pretty impressed. The de-aging usually looked really good, with the biggest limitation simply being the actors’ physicality. But overall, the movie looked good, if not a little flat, but again, that could be the Netflix of it all. Maybe it should have been a mini-series?  I’m gonna call this one good, not great, and not required except for true diehards. Stick with Goodfellas or Casino or even Wolf of Wall Street. But as a “getting the band back together” kind of thing, it’s cool. Wish we had more Keitel though.  One more film.