What I’m watching: organized crime film “The Irishman”

Date: 12/11/2019

On Netflix: The Irishman

Few people have crafted films about organized crime as well as director Martin Scorsese. Films such as “Goodfellas” and “Casino” – honestly, “the Wolf of Wall Street’ is certainly about organized crime, as well.

And his latest film, “The Irishman,” is certainly worthy of being listed with “Casino” and “Goodfellas.”

Now that it is on Netflix – the streaming service also did a limited theatrical release and the Amherst Cinemas and Bow Tie Cinemas in Hartford are the closest theaters running it – people can judge the film for itself after a month of publicity.

The film has initially been sold on several talking points: it’s a Scorsese gangster film; it stars Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pecsi, who came out of retirement; and it features an expensive de-aging effect done by CGI. Some people have also hailed this film as the end of an era and have called it a “swan song.”

The de-aging effect has been debated ad nauseam on social media. Some viewers felt it was distracting, but once I initially saw it, I immediately ignored it. I didn’t find that it took away from the story or the characterizations.

Who knows if Scorsese has more films in him – he’s 77 – and who knows if he would ever assemble this cast again. This talk has all been speculation.

If you actually ignore the hyperbole, “The Irishman” stands as one of Scorsese’s best films. It’s a film about power – especially the obscured power of business and crime – and how people react to it.

The three-and-a-half-hour film is indeed an epic in many ways covering the post-WWII years to 2003. Frank Sheeran, played by DeNiro, is a WWII vet who, after the war, is a truck driver who meets and is befriended by crime boss Russell Bufalino, played by Pesci. Sheeran quickly becomes a trusted soldier for Bufalino and he takes on a verity of assignments, including being a hit man.

Bufalino recommends Sheeran to a friend of his, the president of the teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Sheeran is a teamster and becomes a bodyguard for Hoffa and a close friend. The two men genuinely care for one another and respect one another.

Hoffa has lent organized crime figures millions of dollars from the union’s pension fund that has been used to build the casinos in Las Vegas. In turn the mob has assisted Hoffa with maintaining his power in the union.

All of that falls apart when Hoffa is successfully prosecuted for jury tampering, attempted bribery and fraud and is sent to prison in 1967. He is pardoned by President Richard Nixon in 1971 and fought to regain his position with the union. He disappeared in 1975 and was declared dead in 1982. Hoffa becomes increasingly difficult and Sheeran is told to eliminate him.

At the core of the film is Sheeran and the motivation of why he would do what he did. He is the ultimate good soldier who does what he does because this is how he provides for his family.

Even when told he has to kill Hoffa, Sheeran simply accepts it. Certainly he understands that he would be killed if he supports Hoffa but there is an amazing detachment from what he has to do to a close friend.

His loyalty to the mob costs him his family – one daughter won’t speak to him because she has figured out what happened to Hoffa – and at the end of his life he is alone. All of the people he knew are dead.

There is a real sadness about this film. Hoffa isn’t necessarily a bad guy, but he allows the ends to justify the means. The mob figures may operate outside of the law, but not outside a highly defined, yet potentially shifting, code of conduct. Sheeran allows himself to believe that what he does benefits his family and only allows for some reflection very late in his life. It is apparent the only way he can emotionally deal with what he did and what he witnessed is by burying those memories as deeply as he can in his mind.

At the end of his life, those memories give him no comfort.

The performances are quite stellar. DeNiro underplays his role and that gives it a quiet strength. Pesci who can go over the top as an actor is a model of restraint as the mob leader. In contrast Pacino is the scenery-chewer, and I say that with respect. His Hoffa is a short-fuse kind of guy with a very big personality that provides quite a contrast.

The running time of this film sailed by thanks to the direction and the editing. The musical score, filled with pop hits of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ’60s, anchored the year in which the action was taking place.

This is the second film Netflix has released in the last eight weeks – the other is the great “Dolemite is My Name” – that should be included in Oscar nominations this year.

Take the time to watch “The Irishman.”