THE IRISHMAN (2019) – My rating: 7/10

The Irishman is an epic crime film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese. It is written by Steven Zaillian and based on the 2004 nonfiction book, I Heard You Paint Houses, by Charles Brandt. The film follows Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who becomes a hitman. The film includes Frank’s involvement with mobster Russell Bufalino and his crime family, plus his time working for the powerful Teamster, Jimmy Hoffa.

From a nursing home while sitting in his wheelchair, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), an elderly World War II veteran, recounts his time as a hitman for a crime syndicate; during the 1950s in Philadelphia, Frank worked as a delivery truck driver.  Seeing an opportunity to make extra money, he starts to sell some of the contents of his shipments to local gangster Felix “Skinny Razor” DiTullio (Bobby Cannavale). After his company accuses him of theft, union lawyer Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) gets him off after Sheeran refuses to name his customers to the judge. Bill introduces Frank to his cousin Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), who is head of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family. Frank begins to do small jobs for Russell and members of the local South Philadelphia underworld, including “painting houses,” a euphemism for murder. Soon, Russell introduces Frank to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who has financial ties with the Bufalino crime family and is struggling to deal with fellow rising Teamster Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano (Stephen Graham), as well as mounting pressure from the federal government. Hoffa becomes close with Frank and his family, especially his daughter Peggy (Anna Paquin), and Frank becomes Hoffa’s chief bodyguard, while on the road.

I’m not sure why The Irishman received so many Oscar nominations, I am sure of one thing, the movie was one of the longest movies I’ve seen in some time.  I felt the last half hour of the movie could have been eliminated.  It didn’t really contribute anything to the story.  While De Niro (who was snubbed by the Academy), Pesci and Pacino are truly among the very best actors in Hollywood, they came off as pretty advanced, age-wise,  for their familiar role of mob characters. In their defense, Scenes were filmed with a custom three-camera rig to help facilitate the extensive de-aging digital effects that made De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci appear younger. Having said that, The Irishman was well-acted, despite their ages and well told.  However, the film was too long and at times,  tad bit slow-paced.  I almost feel as though we’ve seen it all when it comes to the topic of the mafia. With a production budget of $159 million and a runtime of 209 minutes, it is among the most expensive and longest films of Scorsese’s career. The film received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Scorsese’s direction and the performances of De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, The Irishman was nominated for five awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, while it earned 10 nominations at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film. The Irishman is now streaming on Netflix — Check It Out!

[THE IRISHMAN is Oscar-nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, twice for Best Supporting Actor, followed by BEST: Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay, and Costume Design — TOTALLING 10 OSCAR NOMINATIONS]

 

21 BRIDGES (2019) – My rating: 8/10

 

21 Bridges is an action thriller directed by Brian Kirk. Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo act as producers.  21 Bridges is an exciting film that has quite a few surprises.  I don’t think it received all the publicity it should have, I was told about it by a relative.  Initially, I didn’t really know what 21 Bridges was about however, I’m glad I went to see it.

 

**** SPOILERS ****

21 Bridges opens with a young Andre Davis (Christian Isaiah) attending his father’s funeral after he was murdered on the job. Many years later, Andre (Chadwick Boseman) becomes a successful law enforcer, working for the NYPD and has taken down more than 8 criminals during his time as a police officer. One night, two small-time criminals and former war veterans Michael Trujillo (Stephan James) and Ray Jackson (Taylor Kitsch) took on a job to ransack a winery and steal several kilograms of cocaine it was illegally harvesting. The heist takes a left turn when they realize the amount of cocaine was 10 times as much as they were expecting plus several police officers unexpectedly arrive on the scene. They were forced into a shootout that landed 6 officers gunned down. Ray is chastised by Michael for killing cops, which puts them in jeopardy.

Andre Davis is assigned to the case. Struggling with the legacy of his deceased father, Davis has earned a reputation for hunting down and killing “cop killers,” although he claims they were all in self-defense and is uncomfortable with the label. Narcotics detective Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller) is assigned as Davis’ partner. The two come into conflict with FBI agents Butchco (Obi Abili) and Dugan (Andy Truschinski), who attempt to take the case over. Captain Matt McKenna (J. K. Simmons) of the 85th precinct is assigned to oversee the case.

With this being a good place to stop, 21 Bridges is loaded with excitement plus it drives home a profound message.  I can’t imagine the scope of crime and blatant disrespect for the law as shown in this film.  A death that occurs during the surrendering of a criminal made 21 Bridges more relatable.  Although the director tried to invent a very real climate that represents more of today’s issues, the aura around 21 Bridges just didn’t feel real, especially shutting down 21 bridges at any given time.  Despite this, I found the movie to be just exciting enough to pass as a holiday filler.  I also thought Stephen James’ performance was outstanding.  You just might enjoy 21 Bridges, it’s a real thrill ride at best.  The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $34 million worldwide on a $33 million budget. Check It Out!