The Irishman (2019)

The Irishman is a slow-burning, elegiac crime drama that follows Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran as he looks back on a life built on loyalty, violence and regret. Spanning the 1950s through the 1970s, the film traces Frank’s rise from a truck driver and World War II veteran into the orbit of Russell Bufalino’s Pennsylvania crime family and, eventually, into the inner circle of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. As Sheeran narrates pivotal hits, power plays and long-standing friendships, the movie gradually reveals the moral cost of a life spent “painting houses” — the euphemism for carrying out murders — and the ambiguous role he claims to have played in Hoffa’s mysterious disappearance. Seeing the film is an immersive experience: a grand, deliberate epic that emphasizes character, atmosphere and memory over action-packed thrills. Director Martin Scorsese and a powerhouse cast (including Robert De Niro as Sheeran, Al Pacino as Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino) deliver restrained, deeply felt performances. The storytelling is reflective and often melancholic, moving through decades with meticulous period detail while using de-aging effects to show the characters at different ages. Expect long conversational scenes, sudden jolts of violence, courtroom and union-politics moments, and an overarching sense of isolation as the protagonist confronts aging, loyalty and the consequences of his past. If you watch The Irishman you’ll get a richly textured, somber portrait of organized crime and American labor politics, less a thriller than a meditation on memory, power and remorse. It rewards patience: the film is lengthy and measured, designed for viewers who appreciate character-driven historical drama, moral ambiguity, and strong, nuanced performances.

Actors: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

Director: Martin Scorsese

Runtime: 209 min

Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama

7.2 /10 94 /100 7.8 /10 8.1 /10