The Irishman – Scorsese Did It Again!

Last year brought a true refreshment for all “criminal lovers” of high-quality movies 

And who likes sometimes play real money slots– The Irishman. This 209-minutes-long masterpiece is brought to you by a worldwide famous movie director Martin Scorsese, known for many excellent creations. Among them are the popular Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro, then Raging Bull, Good Fellas, as well as New York, New York, and The Wolf of the Wall Street.

The movie was based on a book written by Charles Brandt and known by the name of “I Heard You Paint Houses”, which was adapted for TV by a popular screenwriter- Steve Zaillian. Steve is also “responsible” for adapting screenplays, such as the “Black Hawk Down” and “Schindler’s List”.

Cast

When it comes to the cast and crew, there is nothing surprising. Scorsese again decided to hire some of the best actors he has ever collaborated with, such as Robert De Niro (play Frenk Sheeran), who can be considered a kind of a host of Scorsese’s movies, then Al Pacino (plays Jimmy Hoffa), outstanding Joe Pesci (Russell Bufalino), Harvey Keitel (Angelo Bruno), Ray Romano (known for the popular TV show named “Everybody Loves Raymond; plays Bill Bufalino). You can also enjoy amazing talented actors, such as Bobby Cannavale (Skinny Razor), Anna Paquin (Peggy Sheeran) and beautiful Stephanie Kurtzuba (who plays Irene Sheeran).

Plot

The plot of this phenomenal movie is set in America, just after the termination of the Second World War. The complete action is displayed through the eyes of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a WWII veteran and a hitman, who worked with some of the most notorious people of the time, such as Russel Bufalino (Joe Pesci).

The plot follows one of the largest unresolved mysteries in the history of the United States of America – the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the famous union boss, who was involved in organized crime. The movie offers a detailed look at the structure of organized crime, as well as at reciprocal rivalries and connections to various politicians of that time.

At first, we get to meet Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) in his mid-80’s, as he runs a kind of a confessional inner monologue, which later converts into a classical narration, as Frank looks back upon his entire life, remembering each and every moment with a mixture of regret and pride. Robert De Niro did an excellent job leading the viewers through Frank’s pre-war time, through traumatic and stressful WWII events, as well as through post-war situations, in which he gets a chance to get acquainted with the notorious crime boss Russel Bufalino (Joe Pesci).

The Rise of Frank Sheeran

“The Irishman” is mostly concentrated around the progression of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) in criminal circles. At first, he starts off as a meat-delivery driver, being promoted to a “house painter” at the end. But don’t confuse this title with genuine house painting. This was a euphemism used to describe a hired hitman, related to the book “The Irishman” was based on (“I Heard You Paint Houses”). Scorsese even ended the movie with the same exact sentence.

Frank Sheeran earns Hoffa’s trust and becomes irreplaceable after he manages to destroy all the vehicles that belong to the Chicago Cab company, a company that refuses to join Hoffa’s Teamsters. After this, Frank becomes Hoffa’s close friend and his very own enforcer.

Shooting Technology

The legendary “Industrial Light & Magic” company stands behind all visual effects implemented in “The Irishman”. They even come up with a totally new technology in order to create an excellent environment for legendary actors such as De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino, as well as to accommodate Martin Scorsese in the best possible way.

Pablo Helman, the visual effects supervisor, knew that those actors wouldn’t accept wearing standard helmets with cameras, markers and sensors all over their faces (motion capture technology) for the scenes in which they were supposed to be younger selves. So, the team developed a whole new system to capture facial expressions of the actors, without any helmets or cameras which could directly translate them to 3D computer-generated younger Frank, Hoffa, and Russel.

Final Thoughts

So, if you think you are a fan of Scorsese’s works, and you have three hours to spend watching his newest masterpiece, then you should definitely do so! The three giants of the movie industry, Al Pacino, De Niro, and Pesci delivered award-ready, stunning performances that will certainly make you forget about the time and movie duration! Although Scorsese is currently 76 years old, The Irishman implies that we can probably still expect more from this living legend.

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Mark Meets
Mark Meets
MarkMeets Media is British-based online news magazine covering showbiz, music, tv and movies

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