The Irishman - Pacino, DeNiro , Pesci, Scorsese

It’s on Netflix, I’m going to watch it tonight. Anybody else saw it yet?

I didn't realize it was going straight to Netflix rather than debuting in major theaters first. I'll be right behind you in that case, as I have been waiting for this one.
 
I'm very excited for this movie! I love Joe Pesci, and I think his acting has trumped DeNiro's in their Scorsese legacy, but I'm happy to see all of them together again. It just feels right. Plus Al Pacino?

This is a movie made by, and starring, legends who won't be around for too much longer. It's impossible not to have incredible expectations.

I really wish I didn't have to help set the place up for Thanksgiving tonight :hmm:.
 
Sad that an article explaining why to watch any movie in one sitting is necessary - especially semi-biographies where you can expect a long arc of character development. Set aside a 3+hour block of your day, or don't.

The whole movie was very melancholy, and that can easily translate into boring if you aren't either interested in organize crime figures or already fans of DeNiro, Pacino, or Pesci - doubly so for a film of this length. You probably would not feel as motivated to sit the three hours if these actors weren't driving the movie, because for the most part it felt like an extended last 'hurrah' for these film legends to work together in a classic mob tale.

However, the story itself was solid and the actors all struck their parts perfectly. DeNiro and Pesci did excellently portraying aging mobsters in a way that is not nearly as glamorous or over-the-top as in previous installments. Romano surprised me with his great portrayal of Pesci's lawyer cousin who helps out the Irishman (his acting chops finally overpowered his Kermit-voice), and Pacino did just as you would expect playing a bombastic character like Hoffa. Props to Jim Norton for doing a great rendition of a young Don Rickles panning the mob on their own turf and getting away with it!

There were parts where the dialogue felt like it was running nowhere, and some of these felt like nods to Goodfellas and Casino-style humor that just didn't land and felt unnecessary (think the fish on the car seat conversation). Also it didn't succeed in landing as strong of an emotional impact as may have been intended, especially near the end of the movie as the Irishman contends with the suffering he caused to his victims and family. You almost felt as if you were expected to feel more sympathy for the devil, but with the exception of seeing him and his old buddy suffering in the penitentiary and the nursing home, there just wasn't much emotional gravity to the things he suffered through - especially .

All in all, a slightly scattered but sobering and mildly depressing crime story with an A-list cast that saves the film.

B+
 
I just watched it, I really enjoy mob films so I enjoyed it. I thought that the storyline was alright, although I felt that some things could have been done better. I liked the cast and didn't have problems with how people portrayed their characters. I was getting some Goodfellas vibes throughout the film mainly due to location and shots/angles, but that's just me being a film nerd. Overall decent story, decent film.
 
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