Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ Is an Epic Tale That Was Worth the Wait
For a guy who has no love for the Marvel movies, Martin Scorsese sure has created The Avengers of Mafia films with his latest, The Irishman.
The epic is loaded with the titans of criminal underworld tales, including Goodfellas and Casino stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci; Bugsy‘s Harvey Keitel, who shared the screen with De Niro in Taxi Driver; and Godfather icon Al Pacino, working with Scorsese for the first time ever. And it is indeed worth the wait.
This sprawling 209-minute feature — which had a brief theatrical run earlier this month — adapts the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, about Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (De Niro), a WWII vet and truck driver who finds himself caught up with mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and his associate, Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).
Told from an elderly Sheeran’s point of view, the story spans more than three decades to explore the possible circumstances surrounding Hoffa’s still-unsolved death in 1975, as well as the subsequent fates of his cronies.
(Credit: Netflix)
It also features stellar performances by Anna Paquin (The Affair) as Sheeran’s daughter and Bobby Cannavale (Homecoming) as alleged hitman Felix “Skinny Razor” DiTullio.
The Irishman, Movie Premiere, Wednesday, Nov. 27, Netflix
