The Irishman Review : A tale of crime, politics and mobsters

Story: Frank Sheeran’s (Robert Di Niro) life changes for better or worse after he meets Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and soon begins the transformation of a family man from a truck driver to someone who ‘paints houses’.

Review: When you think of a mob film, you don’t picture an old man at a convalescent home, telling you the tale of what might be the biggest betrayal of his life, except he doesn’t see it that way. You expect blazing guns, stylish suits and young men with slick hairstyles firing off at each other. Martin Scorsese doesn’t give you any of that; instead he manages to do something better by bringing together the holy trinity – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

Frank Sheeran is a war veteran turned truck driver who soon finds himself doing favours for Russell (out of respect for the man) and a local gangster Skinny Razor (Bobby Canavale) in 1950s Philadelphia. Be it at war or in the underworld, Frank aka The Irishman’s strength lies in taking orders with a sense of scary detachment and he soon becomes the top-dog for ‘painting houses’ a euphemism for contract killing. One fine day, Jim Hoffa (Al Pacino), head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters comes calling, “I heard you paint houses,” he says and engages Frank to help him take care of a fellow rising Teamster Tony Pro (Stephen Graham). Now what happens between these three hardened men who smoke, drink, dream and stay afloat amid crime family politics is what the film’s all about.

Digital de-aging technology might have helped Scorsese tell a tale that spans over decades (and 3 hours 29 minutes) but he cannot change the fact that The Irishman is a tale told by old men of a glorious time that used to be. De Niro’s deep blue eyes shine through even as his face is smoothened of wrinkles but his body gives away the fact that he’s over seventy even in scenes where he’s supposed to be young. That aside, this is not a tale where a gangster is one for the sake of it. Even these unfeeling men who will do anything to save their own skin feel a sense of normalcy when they are with their families. Frank’s daughter Peggy (Lucy Galliana/Anna Paquin) plays a silent witness to everything her father and Russell do and remains the nirvana that’s forever out of reach no matter how hard they try. Even as you hear a pop-pop-pop as our protagonist ‘paints houses’ or as he drives with Russell and their families to a wedding, the vibe remains eerily flat with no sense of shock or urgency and it’s only later you realise that this sense of detachment is something Frank feels. But soon that detachment turns to regret, not for the things done, but for the dispassion of it all.

Staying invested in a film this long is exhausting, but that’s only because Scorsese ensures you stay devoted to the characters. Steve Zaillian’s screenplay is a work of art, with scenes stitching together seamlessly and not allowing the length of the movie ruin the experience. Robbie Robertson’s music and Rodeigo Prieto’s cinematography are not flashy; staying true to the tale. And it goes without saying that Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci deliver stunning performances, so do rest of the cast. Irrespective of the film’s drawbacks, Hoffa says in a scene, “I don’t keep my mouth shut for anyone,” almost as if mirroring what these men who came together for the film think, and that’s saying something!