The Irishman
10 Oscar Nominations
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 critics thought
Scorsese's three-and-a-half-hour mob epic was met with near-universal critical admiration, praised for its elegiac tone, the performances of its lead trio, and a final act critics found unexpectedly devastating. The one sustained debate was the runtime — some felt the midsection sags and an hour could be cut without loss, while others argued the slow accumulation is precisely the point — and the de-aging CGI drew consistent scrutiny even from reviewers who ultimately accepted it.
“its last half-hour is deeply moving in a way that creeps up on you, and it's then that you see what Scorsese was working toward all along”
Stephanie Zacharek·Time
“a coldly enthralling, long-form knockout—a majestic Mob epic with ice in its veins”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“De Niro's rosy complexion as a truck driver 'kid' recalls a tinted postcard photo more than a twentysomething person, and I can't explain away the same de-aged De Niro curb-stomping a grocer, looking more like the septuagenarian star he is than a ferociously protective thirtysomething dad.”
Nicholas Rapold·Film Comment
“the excessive length ultimately is a weakness”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“while it's a good film, it isn't a great one”
Kyle Smith·National Review
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMartin Scorsese
StarringRobert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano
ComposerRobbie Robertson
The Irishman
10 Oscar Nominations
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 critics thought
Scorsese's three-and-a-half-hour mob epic was met with near-universal critical admiration, praised for its elegiac tone, the performances of its lead trio, and a final act critics found unexpectedly devastating. The one sustained debate was the runtime — some felt the midsection sags and an hour could be cut without loss, while others argued the slow accumulation is precisely the point — and the de-aging CGI drew consistent scrutiny even from reviewers who ultimately accepted it.
“its last half-hour is deeply moving in a way that creeps up on you, and it's then that you see what Scorsese was working toward all along”
Stephanie Zacharek·Time
“a coldly enthralling, long-form knockout—a majestic Mob epic with ice in its veins”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“De Niro's rosy complexion as a truck driver 'kid' recalls a tinted postcard photo more than a twentysomething person, and I can't explain away the same de-aged De Niro curb-stomping a grocer, looking more like the septuagenarian star he is than a ferociously protective thirtysomething dad.”
Nicholas Rapold·Film Comment
“the excessive length ultimately is a weakness”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“while it's a good film, it isn't a great one”
Kyle Smith·National Review
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMartin Scorsese
StarringRobert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano
ComposerRobbie Robertson