A mob epic, another Martin Scorcese magic.
The Irishman is a story of Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who becomes a hitman involved with mobster Russell Bufalino and his crime family as well as a powerful labor union teamster, Jimmy Hoffa.
Based on a non-fiction book I Heard you Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, it is a fictionalized true crime story about the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, a mystery that still has not been solved.
Robert DeNiro who played Frank Sheeran co-produced with the director Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci came out of his unofficial retirement to portray the role of the suave mobster Russell Baffalino. Jimmy Hoffa was played by Al Pacino.
The production design was 108 shooting days, 117 locations, 319 scenes, 160 actors in a story spanning 50 years. Scenes were filmed with a custom three-camera rig to create extensive de-aging effects that made the three main actors Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci appear younger.
The planning of the movie started in 2007 itself. But the idea of an aging hitman reminiscing his crime days finalized only in 2017. Tense meetings, setbacks, and a rising budget made The Irishman an epic struggle in the making, with Netflix stepping into financing and distributing it as one of its originals.
The slow reminiscing narrative of the truck driver belies the subtle and deadly half-tone negotiations and whispered hints of the Mob world. A Martin Scorsese signature and must watch gangster movie.
The Irishman is nominated for ten categories in Academy Awards 2020:
- Best Motion Picture: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- Best Director: Martin Scorsese
- Best Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
- Best Production Design: Bob Shaw; Set Decoration: Regina Graves
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt
- Best Film Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker
- Best Actor in A Supporting Role: Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino
- Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, and Nelson Sepulveda
- Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson
