“The Irishman” is a long, quiet revenge tale about loyalty, age and the slow ruin of a man’s soul. Martin Scorsese directs Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci as three men whose friendship began in a barbershop and ended in a grave. It runs four hours and asks for patience, but the payoff is worth it.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Frank Sheeran’s Long Slide
De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who becomes a hitman for the mob. He narrates his own life through memory, moving backward from the present day into his youth. The film’s central trick is digital de-aging, used sparingly, to show Frank as a younger man without breaking the spell. It mostly works.
Pacino plays Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters boss who pulls Frank into organized crime. Their scenes together crackle with tension and mutual respect. Hoffa trusts Frank completely, even as he pushes him toward jobs he never wanted. Pesci plays Russell Bufalino, the mafia boss who runs the operation behind the scenes. His presence is smaller but more menacing. Pesci’s timing is perfect, delivering menace in a single raised eyebrow.
“Russell didn’t say much.”
The Long Middle Stretch
The middle hours of “The Irishman” are where the film loses some of its momentum. Scorsese slows down to let the routine of mob life settle over the characters. Meetings, meals, small talk — these stretches test the viewer’s attention. But the film never lets the stakes drop entirely. Hoffa’s growing anger and Frank’s mounting guilt keep the pressure building underneath the surface.
The film also tracks the rise of the Kennedy family, with Bobby Kennedy becoming a recurring figure. This adds political weight to the story without ever becoming its main focus. It’s a reminder that organized crime operated within a larger world, not apart from it.
The Final Act
The last hour belongs to Frank. He sits in a chair, talking to a friend, and tells the whole story again. This framing device gives the film a sense of closure that the earlier chapters lacked. The performances hold steady throughout, especially De Niro’s, who carries the emotional weight of a man looking back at a life he can’t change.
Scorsese knows exactly when to pull back and when to push forward. The film’s technical precision is remarkable. The lighting, the sound design, the editing — everything serves the story without calling attention to itself.
How It Rates
| Element | Strength |
|---|---|
| Performances | Exceptional |
| Story Length | Ambitious |
| De-Aging Effects | Effective |
| Pace | Uneven |
“The Irishman” is a demanding watch, but it’s also one of the best films of the year. It doesn’t hurry anywhere, and it doesn’t need to. The final scene, with Frank alone in the chair, is a quiet masterpiece.
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