Martin Scorsese is a unique film director and he has left is impressive stamp on Hollywood for the ages. Having surveyed mob crime thoroughly in his past films, here he cuts to the core of the subject matter in his direction of Steven Zaillian's screenplay of homicide investigator Charles Brandt's book I HEAR YOU PAINT HOUSES based on five years of interviews with Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran.
Very briefly, the plot synopsis: 'Left behind by the world, former hit man and union truck driver Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) looks back from a nursing home on his life's journey through the ranks of organized crime: from his involvement with Philadelphia mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) to his association with Teamsters union head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) to the rift that forced him to choose between the two.'
The film is three and a half hours in length and is so well scripted that it transports the audience into the various locales and situations the story surveys. The dialogue is filled with 'mob talk' - which understated, at times intentionally obtuse, language that sounds so natural that the film rings with credibility. The three principle roles are superbly acted by De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci and the supporting cast is vast and exceptionally strong.
But the hero of the film is Scorsese, who captures all the tenor of the period surveyed and draws incredibly fine performances from his able cast. There are moments when the nonlinear flow of the story is confusing, but that, too, adds to the suspense of Scorsese's relating the history. Even the musical score by Robbie Robertson with a montage of 1950s - 1970s popular tunes, enhances the film. Superb work, this is a film that is becoming a legend - already!
Very briefly, the plot synopsis: 'Left behind by the world, former hit man and union truck driver Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) looks back from a nursing home on his life's journey through the ranks of organized crime: from his involvement with Philadelphia mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) to his association with Teamsters union head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) to the rift that forced him to choose between the two.'
The film is three and a half hours in length and is so well scripted that it transports the audience into the various locales and situations the story surveys. The dialogue is filled with 'mob talk' - which understated, at times intentionally obtuse, language that sounds so natural that the film rings with credibility. The three principle roles are superbly acted by De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci and the supporting cast is vast and exceptionally strong.
But the hero of the film is Scorsese, who captures all the tenor of the period surveyed and draws incredibly fine performances from his able cast. There are moments when the nonlinear flow of the story is confusing, but that, too, adds to the suspense of Scorsese's relating the history. Even the musical score by Robbie Robertson with a montage of 1950s - 1970s popular tunes, enhances the film. Superb work, this is a film that is becoming a legend - already!