Cinema: ‘The Irishman’: A Mafia Maybe
Martin Scorsese has been making films since the 60s. His films are praised as timeless classics and often feature plots revolving around gang or mafiosos. His latest, a Netflix film called The Irishman, is no different. The Irishman is based around the mystery of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance in 1975. It’s borrows material from the nonfiction narrative book, I Heard You Paint Houses, written by Charles Brandt which extensively covers the life and confessions of hitman, Frank Sheeran. To “paint houses” in mafia slang is to kill a man.
Despite being an Irish man, Sheeran is played by none other than Robert De Niro. He joined by other actor royalty such as Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Ray Romano even has a role as William Bufalino, a member and lawyer for the Bufalino crime family, the very family rumored to have had a hand in J.F.K’s assassination. The film is told through three timelines out of chronological order. It begins with Sheeran in the winter years of his life, alternating between voice overs and actual dialogue. It’s unclear who exactly he is confessing his life story to, but it’s most likely a direct address to the audience themselves. The second timeline is Sheeran’s flashbacks, chronicling his steady ascent in the Bufalino family and the various connections he builds along the way. The final timeline is the events leading up to Hoffa’s “disappearance”. What should feel disrupted or cramped is skillfully interwoven together, so there is no confusion as to the order of events.
Whenever an actual mafioso side character is introduced, the film freezes into a still picture. Listed on screen, is the mafioso’s name, date of death, and cause of death. Very few of them lived to old age and even fewer of natural causes. There are a lot of references to actual mafia members, so much so that it would probably help to have a bit of background as to who these people are. The voice overs do give some information and relevance, but more so to underscore how high the “turn-over” rate was for the mafia as opposed to individual value. Though, there are the individuals of interest, most notably Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), also known as “The Quiet Don”. He was the man to go to for everything from permission to call a hit to how much to bribe a judge. In the film, he is also the man behind Hoffa’s demise.
Sheeran claimed to have been sent by the Bufalino family to murder Hoffa for openly speaking against the mafia when their interests, previously aligned, began to differ. This is no spoiler. Sheeran mentions at the beginning that Hoffa, while largely forgotten by the American public, was once a man akin to that of The Beatles. A man whose disappearance sparked mass speculation and conspiracy theories, a testimony and warning of the mafia’s reach.
With a screen time of over three hours, The Irishman is jam packed with mafia facts and references. It’s no wonder that Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino, gets confused by all the names and relations. “They’re all f*****g named Tony”, he says. It’s the longest Scorsese film to date, but still full of his trademarks. The cinematography is full of long shots and long takes. The camera pans around, showing the audience the layout and tone of a scene. For a mafia movie – and a Scorsese one at that – there’s not as much action as one would expect. But there is plenty of dialogue. The Irishman has characters talk about everything from how to hide a murder weapon to the inevitability of trying to remove fish smell out of a car. Likewise, unlike most other mafia films, attention is given to humanizing and even downplaying the pursuits of these infamous individuals. Russell Bufalino may be calling the shots, but he still has a soft spot for children. De Niro’s Sheeran spends a majority of his screen time acting as a messenger between the hot heated Hoffa and the Bufalino family. When he’s not babysitting Hoffa, he’s reporting to Russell. It’s like a never-ending game of telephone. There’s more drama and “tell him I said this” than on a middle school playground. On that note, even with the intense and powerful portrayals by De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci, the film is surprisingly comical. From word-based humor to Hoffa’s many outbursts – and the exasperated expressions of those around him – there’s a lot of laughs to be found in The Irishman.
On the other hand, there’s not so much one plot as there are several interconnected instances strung together. The main mystery isn’t what happened to Hoffa – again, Sheeran pretty much admits it off the bat – but how it got to that point. Why the movie is so long is part of what helps build that slow sense of betrayal. Because audience members have spent so much time observing Sheeran and Hoffa’s friendship, it hurts all the more to hear Hoffa’s last words. Granted, the resolution scene lasts longer than most films, but it helps portray how even when “you’re done”, you’re never really done. Sheeran has FBI officials wanting to talk to him even when he’s one foot in the grave.
The Irishman does have its stagnant moments. With so much dialogue and history to cover, it’s natural to lag a bit, especially during the “slice of life” moments. Audiences have to hear mafiosos and Hoffa complain to Sheeran and then have Sheeran reiterate it to its intended recipient countless times. If one can get past the daunting running time and Sheeran playing therapist, it’s a beautifully done film. Each actor truly gives their all in their renditions of these once towering names. The final scene is even a metaphor for the whole Hoffa case, a partially opened door with Sheeran just in the line of sight. Even with Sheeran’s confession, Hoffa’s case will never be fully closed, just like the door. For the mafia, it’s not “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, but keep them both far away.