My review of Martin Scorsese's The Irishman

While I was watching THE IRISHMAN, pinpointing the best scenes was quite easy. During the 1st part, it's when mob bosses RUSS BUFALINO and ANGELO BRUNO tell hitman FRANK SHEERAN (the title character) that he's in the middle of a betrayal plan without him knowing about it. During the 2nd part, it's when labor union leader JIMMY HOFFA and mob captain ANTHONY "TONY PRO" PROVENZANO start arguing about the latter not arriving to their meeting on time, which escalates until issues from the past are brought up. The thing is that these scenes are more personal. Even if the topic of discussion is something trivial (like whether or not traffic is a valid excuse for being late), it's compelling because of how much it means to the characters. Most of the movie unfortunately consists of talking from a business point of view. Of course that the characters are invested in what they're saying, but the stakes are different. It's not bad per se, but a more human approach would've helped the 210 minutes pass by a lot faster. During the 3rd part, the tone completely changes, and the number of great scenes increases. The pop songs and the over-realiance on narration are put aside (there's not even a lot of music score anymore either), which is more impactful. The de-aging effects are great, but it's hard to praise Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography. For the most part, the use of lighting and colors is pretty standard. Only 1/3 of the time he uses wide shots, crane shots and tracking shots. As I said before, the running time is mainly dedicated to conversations, and they're mostly filmed through close-ups and medium shots and edited with the shot-reverse-shot technique. I get that PEGGY SHEERAN (FRANK's daughter) only talking briefly in one scene (as an adult, at least) was done on purpose to make her words stick with the viewer more. I get that a good actress was still required in order to convey her thoughts without speaking. However, she doesn't get that many "dramatically silent" moments. She's practically an extra who happens to be in the center of the shot at times. I'm saying this because it was a good opportunity to cast an unknown actress and so she could have her big break. Using a famous and experienced actress like Anna Paquin felt like a waste. Was Al Pacino method-acting to the point where he was afraid he would disappear like his character did in real life? That would explain why he overacts like there's no tomorrow. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci's performances are good. An advice to new directors out there: Using slow motion has to have a true purpose beyond being just a stylistic choice. It must highlight the intensity of the scene (dramatically or comedically) and help the audience pay attention to something that would be easy to miss otherwise. A bride and his father walking down the aisle with nothing else going on? Not needed. Especially if she's portrayed only as the daughter of a supporting character (I'm pretty sure we don't even find out what her name is).

6/10
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