Stanko's Stance

Dark. Brooding. Moody. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Three Academy Award winners.

The Irishman is about to make every single person over the age of 45 make sure their Netflix subscription is up to date.

The trailer for Martin Scorsese’s mob movie dropped on Wednesday and it appears we have Netflix’s next hopeful Oscar-contending movie. After last year’s greatly successful and beautiful Roma, this movie is going to take a different approach to drama. Rather than longing tracking or stationary shots from Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón, The Irishman will be filled with long monologues and quick-cut watch-your-back direction.

Scorsese mob thriller will feature some de-aging visual effects that will allow flexibility for the actors to play different versions of their characters. This will most notably be applied two titular characters, but may be applied to others with the story taking place over decades. Fun fact, the de-aging technology was provided by Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic.

Pacino stars as Jimmy Hoffa, a man who was born on Valentine’s Day and is known as a labor union leader. The Irishman centers around an Irish mob hitman, played by De Niro, who is recalling his involvement and possible demise of Hoffa.

Scorcese is no stranger to mob movies and he has worked with De Niro to bring out some of his most iconic roles. Pacino is no stranger to playing a character who loves talking in an obliquely threatening but appealingly friendly way. Now the two will share the screen again, for the first time in a motion picture since 2009’s Righteous Kill. Will The Irishman be like The Godfather Part II (almost zero percentage change, right) or Heat (almost a two percentage chance, right?)?

I am going to be honest, this trailer did not inspire a ton a confidence. I want to trust in Scorsese and the talent he has assembled, but I did not get super amped after watching the trailer a couple times. None of the dialogue was riveting and the quick cuts are tough really follow and put something together. For myself, this trailer reminded me of a lesser version of A Most Violent Year.

The Irishman also stars Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano and Anna Paquin.

The movie is based off Charles Brandt’s book, “I Heard You Paint Houses.”

Netflix did not put a specific date when it’ll be released only hinting that it’ll be during the fall season.

“The Irishman” IMDB
“The Irishman” Rotten Tomatoes