CoolHandDuke’s review published on Letterboxd:
100/100
When I heard Martin Scorsese’s next film was going to be a Netflix original, I was excited, but not going to lie, had a little doubts. Nothing horrible, because I don’t think Scorsese has ever made a bad film, but Netflix original films never have been true standouts. The Irishman beyond blew me away, and I cannot think of a higher reaction than that. Not only one of Scorsese's best, but his best film since Taxi Driver. Everything I thought I could’ve been an issue simply wasn’t. In a short summary, it’s like Martin Scorsese got together with DeNiro and Pesci and said “Hollywood thinks we might be older and done, but let’s take what we did, make it even better, while doing a true story. Plus, I haven’t worked with Pacino yet”.
The cast is fucking perfect, I can’t say it any other way. Robert DeNiro gave his best performance in years. A lot of DeNiro’s recent films have been far from good, and it really showed that with the right dedication and direction, not only can he be at the level of his best, but exceed it. I was so happy to see such a fantastic performance from him again, and while I don’t know much about the real life Frank Sheeran, it doesn’t take away the acting chops he nailed. Even with the de-aging effects were done so well, I couldn’t notice with him (and all of the other actors). Joe Pesci came out of his pretty silent retirement for this film, and I am so glad that he did, because I couldn’t have seen anyone else playing Russell Bufalino, and being a shred as good as Pesci was. He was phenomenal, with incredible determination, and of course, the perfect mobster attitude that we all know and love from him. I never expected to see Ray Romano in a film like this, and I can’t lie, he did a great job. Last, but certainly not least, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa was the perfect choice, and for his first project with Scorsese, it’d be hard to top any other one. His line delivery was top notch, his character charisma was amazing and I always leaned closer when Pacino was on the screen. I could definitely see him winning the Oscar this year. One of, if not the best cast of the year.
Especially for a 3 and a half hour long film, this pace is fantastic. The editing is done to perfection and it makes the movie flow by, kept me entertained the whole time, and consistently kept making me even more astonished. The cinematography is also breathtaking, and all the crew knew exactly what to do to bring this amazing script to light.
I am still shocked on how much I loved The Irishman, and how much I wanted to watch it again as soon it was over. Not because I didn’t get it, but just because how entertaining it was. Another Scorsese masterpiece and damn 2019 is going out with a bang.