The other night I watched the new Netflix movie The Irishman. Actually, I should say, the other night I watched half of the The Irishman, and then the next night I watched the second half. If you hadn’t heard, this movie is long! 209 minutes long! (“It is what it is.”)
I wish I could tell you that it didn’t feel like 209 minutes, but there were definitely parts that dragged. That’s not to say that I didn’t like this movie. I did. I estimate that I loved 23 minutes, liked 176 minutes, and 10 minutes were just O.K. Seven out of 10 is good work and Martin Scorcese, if you’re interested, I’d love for you to produce (or direct) the making of Suicide By Everest. Have your people, call my people, and will make it happen.
The acting was top shelf. Robert De Niro is one of the best, if not the best, at playing characters that struggle to appear calm, cool and under control, but succumbs to his inner demons, and when he does, somebody dies a horrible death. Joe Pesci‘s character is not what I expected. Pesci usually plays someone that is small, but everyone fears him because he’s crazy, tough, and loves violence (e.g. Goodfellas). In The Irishman, Pesci’s character is small (you can’t teach height), but he is the master manipulator. A well respected, OG, that gets others do his dirty work. Al Pacino had the more difficult role. I had a hard time understanding what was going on with him. The scene where he and Deniro are sitting in the bedroom and he falls asleep while he’s in a conversation? What was that about?
All-in-all The Irishman was 199 minutes well spent.
What did you think about The Irishman?