The Irishman (2019) * * *

Directed by:  Martin Scorsese

Starring:  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin

Roger Ebert once wrote, "No good movie is too long,"   Now we have The Irishman, which is good, but entirely too long and bloated.   Yet, there is enough here to recommend, especially the contrasting performances of Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran, the Philadelphia mobster who answers the question once and for all about Hoffa's fate following his 1975 disappearance.

Sheeran, an Irish fella who got in good with the Angelo Bruno crime family in the 1960's and later became Hoffa's trusted confidante, claimed shortly before his death that he indeed shot Hoffa and had his body shipped off to be cremated.    There was once an urban legend that Hoffa's body was buried under underneath one of the end zones in old Giants Stadium in North Jersey.    As if mobsters would risk detection by murdering Hoffa in suburban Detroit and shipping his body to East Rutherford, New Jersey for burial during construction of a football stadium.    The method of disposal depicted in The Irishman is more logical and a whole lot cleaner.    I hope my revelation that Hoffa was indeed murdered isn't a spoiler for you.

Frank Sheeran started his career as a truck driver who stole meat from his own truck and delivered it to the mob instead of Food Fair's customers.   He is fired, and with help from mob boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci), he avoids being sent to jail and becomes a gofer for Bruno and Bufalino.   A World War II combat veteran who killed more than a few Nazis in Italy;  Sheeran is not above putting a bullet in anyone's head who crosses Bruno or Russell.   Frank then is elevated to the position of trusted right-hand man of Jimmy Hoffa, who owes the mob more than a few favors and allows them unfettered access to the Teamsters pension fund worth billions. 

Frank plays things close to the vest.   He sees, he observes, and he tries to steer clear of conflict with his superiors.   He may not like having to be the one to kill Jimmy after years of loyal friendship, but he is one of the few people Jimmy trusts who can get close to him without Jimmy smelling a rat.   Pacino's Hoffa is a bombastic, stubborn politician whose mouth gets him into hot water with the mob one too many times.    We witness how Jimmy Hoffa was able to gain control of the Teamsters and how that same personality caused his downfall.

Frank narrates the story by breaking the fourth wall and telling us his story as he withers away in a wheelchair in a nursing home.   He is old, hardened, and wants to tell us his secrets before death silences him forever.   Scorsese employed a seamless de-aging CGI method which took decades off of De Niro's, Pacino's, and Pesci's faces.   Unlike Goodfellas and Casino, De Niro and Pesci not only don't swear much, but they don't smoke either.    This is rather refreshing to see.

De Niro's Frank is as quiet and cool as Pacino's Hoffa is loud and hotheaded.   They are a study in opposites, and their chemistry is palpable.   Pesci, whose famous role is that of hothead Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, is a man of power who no longer needs to remind others of his status.   His presence can either diffuse a situation or bring it to a swift, violent conclusion.    There is violence, to be sure, but in each instance we understand why it had to be used, and how De Niro feels about it.    He refuses to dime out anyone to the authorities, but he allows us to be his confidantes.    He needs to let us in on what drives him and what is in his soul, because human nature dictates that he can't hold it all inside.

The Irishman contains numerous instances which could've been left on the cutting room floor, including the scenes of back and forth communication between Hoffa and Russell, with Frank as a willing mediator.    The Irishman could've clocked in at two hours, forty-five minutes without losing any power.    The Irishman doesn't have the energy of 1990's Goodfellas or even 1995's Casino, both of which depicted mob influence on various facets of American life, but Scorsese is now 77 and prefers a methodical, reflective approach.   His camera forever moves, as if it is pulling back the curtain to allow us to witness events we shouldn't.    Is The Irishman good Scorsese?   Yes.   But it is not excellent Scorsese, and the fact that Scorsese made The Irishman elevates the material while at the same time fomenting disappointment for not being as strong as his past cinematic gems.