4.5 stars out of 5
Marty got the band back together, and for many of us that is reason enough to celebrate. De Niro! Pesci! Keitel! Original music by Robbie Robertson, fer crissakes. That he was then able to deliver such a tremendous piece of filmmaking, on a truly grand scale, is… well, not at all surprising. Because he’s Martin Freaking Scorsese. And who the hell are you?
The titular Irishman is Frank Sheeran, apparently a Zelig-esque character of the 1950s–70s Teamsters and organized crime scene. Tasked with playing him over several decades is Robert De Niro, i.e. one of the greatest American actors of all time. However, in the past 20+ years, we’ve only seen occasional glimmers of that brilliance. Has he gone after less challenging roles in lesser movies? A little bit, little bit. Here, his old friend Scorsese brings Bobby back to the well, and it is impressive to watch.
Due to the wide time span covered in the screenplay, Scorsese employs digital de-aging, and while not perfect, it’s pretty good. De Niro looks like a younger De Niro who maybe has had very good results from Proactiv. Most importantly it’s not distracting.
We’re deftly bouncing between three time periods: 1950s, 1970s, 2000s. But we’re primarily in that first time period as it slowly catches up with the second. Those early days are Scorsese’s sweet spot, and nobody does it better. This is Goodfellas territory: the dark restaurants, the suits, the hits. Hey, there’s Joe Pesci (whose mafia character becomes Sheeran’s lifelong mentor). Oh hello Harvey Keitel, boss of bosses. For a little new spice in the Sunday gravy, let’s mix in Bobby Cannavale (who more than passed the Scorsese audition in Boardwalk Empire). I am not here to shit on Motherless Brooklyn except to say: You look at that movie and think “oh they’re making it look old-timey.” Scorsese and crew, on the other hand, absolutely transport you to the time period. You are there.
For those of us who enjoy such a thing, this would be movie enough. But then we get Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa. Oh goodness. You mean before, that was just the appetizer, and now we’re getting the main course? Pacino — also on the shortlist of all-time greats — is a delight, trying out a flat midwestern accent, gesticulating, shifting volume and tempo. Hoo-ah!! Sheeran becomes Hoffa’s trusted soldier, so we get De Niro and Pacino playing off each other — the first time that’s ever happened in a quality film. Which is a treat.
We also get a very solid Ray Romano (as the Teamsters lawyer), an explosive performance by Boardwalk Empire’s Al Capone (as Hoffa rival Tony Pro), Herc from The Wire in a fat suit (or did De Niro raging-bully him into gaining weight?), Landry from Friday Night Lights, Anna Paquin in a small but key role as Sheeran’s grown-up daughter, and that comic Sebastian Maniscalco who Jerry Seinfeld had coffee with in a nice turn as Crazy Joe Gallo.
Top screenwriter Steve Zailian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of, etc.) skillfully weaves an epic tale of power, pride, politics, corruption, family, loyalty, prejudice, and more. There are laughs but they’re balanced by frequent reminders from Scorsese that the violent life isn’t a glamorous one — it takes a deep personal toll, and haunts you always. This is America, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Is this a true story? These are real characters, and we know the outcome. There are seemingly countless competing versions of how that outcome was reached, and we may never know the reality. But for a compelling, thrilling, expertly-crafted, and thought-provoking take on the events, I’m sticking with Scorsese.
Jack Silbert, curator