If you have seen the film, you obviously know that it has a very bold runtime, sitting comfortably (or uncomfortably) at three and a half hours. For most, this is unheard of for a mainstream release, and while that is undeniably true, I can absolutely see why The Irishman is the movie Scorsese chose to give this treatment. Coming in as his new longest film (beating out Silence), the story within is presented more as an epic than your typical Gangster film, spanning decades and showing the effects of time on Frank as he grows older and older, while also serving as a retrospective on his life as the framing device of the film is him reflecting on the past as he is knocking on death’s foreboding door. Robert De Niro knocks it out of the park once again, feeling like a true return for the actor after dabbling in affairs like Dirty Grandpa… let’s just try to forget that one. His performance as hitman Frank Sheeran feels incredibly nuanced, and in a way, endearing despite his clear flaws and criminal nature. Similarly, Al Pacino brings his A-Game as the late Jimmy Hoffa, whom I have no real knowledge on besides what my dad has told me about the man seeing as I was born in 1999. While his performance is less restrained, Pacino connects with the character of Hoffa in such a way that you truly believe everything he says as his narrative unfolds, ultimately gaining the audiences trust and affection with his quick wit and boisterous charisma. Seeing these two act together on-screen again just brought a smile to my face, but at the same time, made me realize that as great as The Irishman is, it will never have anything on Michael Mann’s Heat.

The subtitle of this review mentions Scorsese’s return to the Gangster film, but it also stresses that more importantly this film sees the return of the Wet Bandit himself, Joe Pesci. No, he is not playing his character from Home Alone, but this is his first acting role in several years, as he came out of retirement solely for this film. And rightfully so… HOLY SHIT, I missed Joe Pesci. This man proves just how great he is in every scene of this film, coming off with the most laid back, terrifying performance potentially of his career. No jokes, no outbursts, just playing every scene totally straight and presenting himself as meaning business, he immediately makes this role his own and differentiates it from his previous Scorsese roles in Casino and Goodfellas. Russell Bufalino is the performance to beat here. The scene between De Niro and Pesci in the diner before heading to the airport is so, so, so, so amazing.

Joe Pesci in The Irishman (2019)

Scorsese must have wanted to go out with a bang if this is indeed his final Gangster film, as he managed to snag up several actors from Boardwalk Empire, a show that is not talked about nearly enough. Bobby Cannavale, Jack Huston, and Stephen Graham all have pretty sizable roles throughout the film, with the latter stealing any scene he’s put in, namely the meeting between he and Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa. The supporting cast is great, from those mentioned above, to Anna Paquin as Frank’s estranged daughter, Ray Romano as Bill Bufalino (Frank’s lawyer), the vastly underrated Jesse Plemons as the son of Jimmy Hoffa, and Harvey Keitel, even with his limited role here. Scorsese knows how to use ensemble casts, even when all of them aren’t featured as heavily as others, and I think that’s something showcased here as good as it is in The Departed.