by: Ryan Rindels
After a career of more than 50 years in filmmaking, it’s clear that Martin Scorsese has yet to lose his touch. Accompanied by some of the greatest actors in history and the anti-aging technology of the future, The Irishman, is a nearly perfect crime film. Based on the book, I Heard You Paint Houses, by Charles Brandt, The Irishman follows Frank Sheeran and his experiences with the Bufalino Crime Family. Going in, I was initially bothered by two things. The first thing I noticed was the technology used to make actors like Robert De Niro (76), Al Pacino (79), and Joe Pesci (76) appear younger than they actually are. I never felt as though the technology did a good enough job, and it often pulled me out of the experience for the first hour or so. Also, it seemed as though Scorsese insisted on casting De Niro and Pesci (both of whom he had worked with before) instead of younger actors that may have been able to do more than men in their late 70’s. By the end of the roughly three and a half hours, I completely took back both of these initial cons. The Irishman is not only a perfect crime film, but also a film in protest of finality. In both the way that a certain character chooses a casket over cremation due to how “final” the latter is, and the way that Scorsese casts 3 greats of the industry as they approach the last chapter in their lives, The Irishman finishes with a melancholic but inevitable look at old age and death. I highly recommend it.