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Post by Popeye Doyle on Jan 5, 2020 14:46:01 GMT
3.5 out of 4. As good as De Niro and Pacino are, the best performance comes from Pesci. There’s an inescapable sense of sadness to everything, especially when considering this might be the last time these legends work together. If anything doesn’t work, it’s the relationship between our title character and his daughter. They have virtually no relationship when she is a child so I really didn’t feel much when she rejects him when an adult.
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Post by marth on Jan 5, 2020 15:13:42 GMT
If anything doesn’t work, it’s De Niro´s blue eyes...
LOL, I know what you mean, the movie is 3 hours and a half long, but still, they didn´t have the time to develop that relationship.
I think it´s a great movie, possibly 8,50 out of 10.
The acting from the 3 leads, is impeccable and outstanding, but this time my favorite is De Niro, then Pesci, then Pacino (just by a hair, but that´s my ranking).
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Post by ck100 on Jan 5, 2020 17:57:57 GMT
3 out of 4. It's good overall and well-acted, but the movie feels its length and it can be hard to follow if you're not knowledgeable about Jimmy Hoffa, Teamsters, etc. I think the second half of the film was better than the first half although the first half isn't bad. I think 2.5 hours would have worked more for the film instead of 3.5 hours.
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Post by Vits on Jan 5, 2020 18:43:33 GMT
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 ------------------------------------- You can read comments of other movies in my blog. |
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Jan 5, 2020 20:57:09 GMT
I can kinda picture the more dramatic (not to mention longer) movie where his daughter loves him up until he kills uncle Jimmy. But his daughter being aware and scared of him from a young age, and killing Jimmy being the last straw for her, works fine and is probably more realistic. And I don't think we're meant to have much sympathy for Frank anyway.
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Post by bravomailer on Jan 5, 2020 21:07:52 GMT
I too thought Pesci was outstanding. We expect him to play a mercurial guy but his character is calm and calculating. Stephan Graham is given the role of the violent boss and he does it well.
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