The Irishman

It didn't take a genius to see that television was finally poised to win the war against movies. I just didn't expect my teacher to be leading the charge against theatrical exhibition.

The Irishman is a much more deliberate and weighty gangster film - by comparison, Goodfellas is a riot. But it's a vibe that works in its gravitas.

The affecting, ruminative finale and the melancholic last scene leaves a metaphorical door ajar in our hearts, a deep hollow that's hard to fill...

Despite its length, The Irishman is riveting. It confirms Scorsese as one of the great American filmmakers.

There are 209 minutes in "The Irishman" and not one of them is wasted.

Whether seen on the big screen or a small one, The Irishman is among 2019's best motion pictures and should receive its share of Oscar attention in 2020.

The Irishman has the same Scorsese beats we have come to love but moves to a noticeably staggered rhythm in it's device of storytelling, laboured performances and reluctance to commit to the brutal energy of Goodfellas.

The Irishman tests patience with its runtime and less effective storytelling on a second watch. CGI de-aging distracts, yet Scorsese's touch shines in cinematography.

One of the most important characteristics of the gangster genre is that we access the story through the point of view of the protagonist, in this case Frank Sheeran, who, is an immigrant. Through the narrative resource of the first person...

Loyalty can’t exist without betrayal, and Scorsese explores that dichotomy with surprising empathy. When Hoffa refuses to accommodate the will of the mafia, he triggers a Steinbeckian tragedy on par with Of Mice and Men.