In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran gets involved with Russell Bufalino and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs the ranks to become a top hitman, he also goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa – a powerful Teamster tied to organized crime.
One of the most difficult reviews to write is one that deals with a subject matter that you know very little about. Jimmy Hoffa has been the butt of many jokes, in real life and in movies and on TV. I remember the first time I ever heard his name was back in 1991 when I was still living in Dublin, Ireland. I went to a screening of “Point Break” with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze and there’s a scene where Reeves’ overly-enthusiastic FBI agent, Johnny Utah, is searching a burned-out car for evidence when his partner, Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey), exclaims, “Let me know if you find Jimmy Hoffa under the seat while you’re at it.” It garnered a few chuckles but it wasn’t until that scene that I heard Hoffa’s name for the first time. I did a little research as I was curious as to why Busey’s character would make a quip about a character I’d never heard of and soon thereafter I was relieved of my curiosity. It’s amazing the results a quick search at the local library will yield: Jimmy Hoffa was an American labor union leader with ties to organized crime who disappeared in 1975 and was never found again. Suddenly, I got the “Point Break” reference and my delayed laughter emerged.
With Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” we are taken on a whirlwind odyssey through time as we meet the titular character, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who in the beginning is a meat delivery driver and winds up as the president of Wilmington Teamsters Local 326. Early on he befriends Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), a Pennsylvania crime boss and the two men become friends. As he continues to do jobs for Russell, he eventually introduces Frank to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the two men become close. Hoffa has financial ties with Russell’s family but he is facing mounting tension from up-and-coming Teamster Anthony Provenzano (Stephen Graham) as well as from the federal government. Over the course of the film’s three and a half hour runtime, we follow these characters and their possible involvement in such events as the Bay of Pigs, JFK’s assassination and the eventual murder and subsequent disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
The movie is based on the 2004 book ‘I Heard You Paint Houses,’ which was written by Charles Brandt. In it, he details a confession that Frank made to him stating that he shot and killed Jimmy Hoffa himself at the request of Russell Bufalino. He said that Russell knew he was close with Hoffa but at the behest of the other crime families in the area, Frank had to kill him or he and his family would be killed. He eventually went through with Hoffa’s murder but it weighed heavily on him for the rest of his life as the two men had become like brothers. Whether he actually killed Jimmy Hoffa or not, will probably never be resolved because at the time of his confession, almost 30 years had passed and the FBI could not locate any DNA or blood samples that belonged to Hoffa at the residence where Frank said the shooting took place.
De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci are outstanding in their respective roles and it’s good to see that Pesci came out of retirement to play gangster Russell Bufalino, at De Niro’s insistence. The three are autonomously hypnotic but when you put them all together in one scene, you can’t help but be overcome with excitement and elation at the sight of watching three Hollywood legends sharing the screen. Pesci’s customary violent and quick-tempered characters are replaced here with a restrained Godfather-esque demeanor, a man who just has to look at you sideways and you’ll never be heard from again. He steals every scene he is in and even De Niro and Pacino’s greatness don’t come close. Pesci has always been an intriguing actor to watch and when he and De Niro are acting alongside each other, especially under the direction of Martin Scorsese, neither can do wrong.
It’s been a long time since I watched a three and a half-hour film in a theater and while it does not disappoint, it’s probably a good thing that it will receive a limited theatrical run before it goes to Netflix November 27th. As compelling as the performances are, accompanied by Scorsese’s excellent direction, this is a movie that will be better appreciated in the comfort of one’s own home, where the film can be spread out over two or more nights if need be. The one thing you don’t need to experience while watching a movie in a theater is discomfort and believe me, there was a lot of that during the screening I attended. Watching “The Irishman” on the big screen was an exhilarating experience because more than likely it will be the last time we see these acting giants all together in one film. No doubt De Niro and Pacino will continue acting and Scorsese will direct more pictures but Pesci stated that he will be fully retired after this feature and that is depressing as he has proven himself to be almost indispensable in anything he’s ever made, from “Raging Bull” to “Goodfellas” to “Casino” and even the kid-friendly slapstick hijinks of both “Home Alone” movies and the “Lethal Weapon” series, at least he has chosen to go out on a high note and not every actor gets to make that choice.
In select theaters Friday, November 15th and on Netflix November 27th
