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Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Irishman (2019)

Some might call this an epic, others might characterize it as a bloated movie in desperate need of editing.  I see the merit in wither description, as it runs over 3 hours and there is a lot of detail that could have been left out.
It is the story of the Mob and Teamsters labor union hitman and courier Frank Sheeran (a real-life figure, who died in 2003 aged 83), who is played by Robert De Niro.  Shortly before Sheeran shoots mobster Crazy Joe Gallo outside Umberto’s Clam House in Little Italy in 1972, Gallo celebrates his birthday at the Copacabana club where comic Don Rickles is performing.  De Niro has been here in not just one but two other movies that centered on the seamier side of life.  It is not Scorsese and Mafia lore that make The Irishman a requiem, however, but the way it morphs from an ebullient, sprawling comedy-drama about the outsider Sheeran’s three-decade involvement with La Cosa Nostra into a mournful reflection on friendship, betrayal and the unassuaged guilt men take to their graves.  The movie garnered 10 Academy award nominations, including for all three of it's heavy hitting lead characters, and is well worth watching.

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