‘The Irishman’ which is the crowning glory in the glittering career of Martin Scorsese, a mythic film maker who has long since earned his gold star in the Real Man’s Hall Of Fame with such masterworks as ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Taxi Driver’. I saw this three and a half hour epic one soft summer’s night in the increasingly gentrified Sydney suburb of Randwick at a magnificently restored arthouse cinema with the old fashioned circle and stalls seating plan still in use at the Civic. After an excellent Italian meal of veal and mushrooms at a trattoria staffed by industrious Asian immigrants, my younger son and I joined the long queue which snaked out into the street, eagerly anticipating the wise guy tale which lay ahead of us. We were not disappointed.
From the first long tracking shot through the old folks home where the retired hitman played by Robert de Niro was living out his last days, my offspring and I were spellbound at this enthralling saga of crime and corruption which did double duty as a paean to American Mafia movies and a potted history of American politics since the Second World War. Set primarily in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, we follow the vicissitudes of a Mafia hitman whose future becomes intertwined with the fortunes of the legendary trade unionist, Jimmy Hoffa whose unexplained disappearance in the mid 70’s has fuelled fervid speculation ever since as to his fate. The source material for the movie is taken from the real life hitman’s autobiography which purports to be a true account but has been shown to be unreliable in a number of respects. Still, it has an authentic feel and club members, by dint of their age, will recognise many of the key historical events which serve a backdrop to the action.
The movie is anchored by three powerhouse performances from de Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, each of which turns in arguably the best work they have ever done, particularly Joe Pesci. There is also a great cameo from Harvey Keitel and numerous other character actors pop up as well which eagle-eyed members will recall from previous mob movies.
To my mind, it transcends the limitations of the gangster movie genre to become an elegant elegy on the truly big questions that we men must answer in our own way i.e:
- How then should I live my life?
- How do I best provide for my family?
- How far am I prepared to go to earn my living and ensure my family’s security?
The movie is still screening in various art house cinemas throughout Auckland but the big chains shunned it because the makers, Netflix, would not afford them their usual three month window before streaming it on their channel. Accordingly, if you want to view it in the privacy and comfort of your own abode, you are able to do so if you are a Netflix customer but I would urge you not to chop it up and watch it in bite sized chunks but rather to let it wash over you in one complete sitting.
The Irishman
Dir. Martin Scorcese