The Irishman
2019 · Directed by Martin Scorsese
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
- history
The story
Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.
What it’s like
Long, unhurried takes that drift through dim bars, wood-panelled diners and wintry Pennsylvania streets, with the cool blue-grey of overcast daylight giving way to amber lamplight and sodium-orange interiors. Scorsese's camera glides and pushes in slowly, often lingering on faces that register small shifts of guilt and calculation, while the old-age makeup and de-aged digital faces add a faintly uncanny sheen. The score is sparse and melancholy, with ballads and pop from the period threaded through quiet, expectant pauses. The vibe is elegiac and wintry, a slow-burn meditation on loyalty, regret and the cost of a life lived in the shadow of power. It suits a grey weekend afternoon, a late evening alone, or a patient film night when you have time to sit inside its long silences. Violence is real and sudden: brief, matter-of-fact shootings and a few brutal killings, handled without relish but not softened, plus coarse language and a steady undercurrent of menace. Its tone is weary and reflective rather than thrilling. It is for viewers who enjoy character-driven crime dramas, aging-man reflections and unhurried, mature filmmaking.
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