Netflix
When the first trailer for The Irishman — Martin Scorsese’s next gangster epic movie — dropped, there were various corners of the internet that were loudly wondering if the iconic director had lost his fastball.
Considering the reuniting and de-aging of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino to be nothing more than a gimmick, there were some critics and fans alike ready to dismiss The Irishman as a mere cash grab vanity project.
Luckily for all movie lovers, though, based on the initial reactions to the film — which just premiered at the New York Film Festival — The Irishman is more than a worthy addition to Scorsese’s already unrivaled cinematic cannon.
Based on the novel I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brand, The Irishman is set to tell the story of the notorious disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and will mark the ninth feature film collaboration between De Niro and Scorsese.
De Niro will be portraying Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, while Pacino — who is appearing in his first Scorsese-directed film (crazy, right?) — will be playing the infamous Jimmy Hoffa. The Irishman also marks Joe Pesci’s first film appearance since 2010 and will be only his third feature film appearance since he starred in Lethal Weapon 4 in the year 1998.
https://twitter.com/kristapley/status/1177624308190859264
https://twitter.com/jhoffman/status/1177620230434168832
THE IRISHMAN: al pacino … oscar ?????
— karen han (@karenyhan) September 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/melvillmatic/status/1177621028941582336
https://twitter.com/jasondashbailey/status/1177623826571649025
THE IRISHMAN: An instant Martin Scorsese crime classic that’s everything you want to be, and more.
De Niro’s best work in ages, Pesci lights up the screen, and Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa screaming about the Kennedys is the peak of cinema!
— Brett (@BrettRedacted) September 27, 2019
THE IRISHMAN is Marty’s old man movie! it’s about how you gotta have fifty conversations to do anything and everybody’s got an ego and it’s mostly just people chatting to each other and getting grumpy. terrific!!
— David Sims (@davidlsims) September 27, 2019
THE IRISHMAN is like a greatest hits album from a master of the medium. Yes, that’s a positive.
The artifice of de-aging is more feature than bug.
It’s not “slow.” It often moves like lightening & elsewhere it’s downright Bressonian.
This is not a review! Those are embargoed.
— erickohn (@erickohn) September 27, 2019
In addition to the legendary trio of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, The Irishman will also star Harvey Keitel, Jesse Plemons, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, and Sebastian Maniscalco.
The Irishman will hit theaters in the United States on Friday, November 1 before eventually being released on Netflix on Wednesday, November 27.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Contact him on Twitter @eric_ital or via email eric@brobible.com.