Pros:
1.) How the narrative is told is quite enjoyable at times. Throughout most of the movie, it is told by one character explaining the events to another character. That character, Fletcher (played by Hugh Grant) narrates the movie as though he was pitching for a movie, and he creates some interesting (and often funny) transitions and false events. It could use some work (some of those transitions can be awkward), but it is an interesting way to tell a story in a movie.
2.) One character I thought stood out the most to me was Raymond (played by Charlie Hunnam). Out of all the other characters, he was the most interesting to me, because he has some great characteristics. He is smart but loyal to his boss. He can be calm, but threatening when he has to get the point across. I kind of wish that the movie was about him, but he has a good enough screen time to make me care about him.
3.) The comedic tone helped the movie a bunch. It made plenty of the events of the movie more interesting and tolerable. Some scenes would be generic at best without that tone…
Cons:
1.) …The reason being that the overall story is generic at best and boring at worst. There are no surprises here; if you have seen a movie about a gangster, you kind of know what to expect here. One man becomes popular and powerful by using his intellect and connections; and threatens anyone who goes against him, especially if they hurt his wife. Once you have seen this type of movie, you can probably predict what happens…
2.) …One of the things that do not help is the slow and boring first act. The other two acts make up for it, but how the movie starts barely holds any interest, because how they introduce the characters and the plot was not great. It is similar to how the Suicide Squad movie introduces their characters, and that movie was bad. Not a great start for the movie.
3.) As for the characters, the biggest reason why I like Raymond over everybody else is that the other characters are not as interesting. They have one or two characteristics about them like Mickey Pearson (played by Matthew McConaughey) is a tough crime lord who remains calm at all times unless his wife gets hurt, and Rosalind Pearson (played by Michelle Dockery) is a tough woman who loves her husband dearly. There is barely anything interesting about them because they are generic and two-dimensional. Raymond stands out more because there is an air of mystery to this guy that intrigues me, and I did not get that with the other characters.
Overall:
I really do not have much to say about this movie other than it is OK. The characters are just generic (except Raymond), the story is all right, and the movie is just a decent action comedy with little to no surprises. If you have nothing to watch at all, maybe this will do just fine, but I figure that there are better choices to come in the future.
6/10
Pros:
1.) The de-aging special effects look great for the most part. Many of the actors appearing young look so realistic, you can easily swear that they might have filmed those scenes years ago, and saved it for this film for today (reminds me of Boyhood). It is not perfect; there are a few shots where the de-aging effects look off. I cannot put my finger on how it is off, maybe the wrinkles are not in their faces correctly. Regardless, those effects are great, and it goes to show that earlier movies with de-aging effects (i.e. MCU movies) have paid off.
2.) One thing that I found interesting in mob films is that these mobsters are friendly to many people, but are frightening when they have to kill someone. This film is no exception, but they add it by spending more time with these characters. They have reasons to be friendly with people, giving extra reasons when they have to kill them kind of scary. It makes you wonder why these people want to be friends when they know they are going to stab each other in the back (they do have a reason, but any normal person will never want to be involved with them). Add with some time with these people, and it is kind of scary to see them getting killed one-by-one to the point where it might as well be a suspense film.
3.) Frank Sheeran’s character journey is not only interesting, but it is also depressing. When he first meets with Russell Bufalino, Frank rises to fame within the Italian Mob despite being Irish. Whereas his closest friend is what lead to his rise, he was also what lead to his downfall. No spoilers on what happens to him, but let’s just say there are some decisions that Frank has to do that would end up breaking his heart. This film makes you care about this hitman and makes you feel sympathy for him when everything falls apart for him.
Cons:
1.) Not much to complain here other than it may be a bit too long. I can see the film has to be three hours and twenty-nine minutes long, but I was getting sleepy in a few of the scenes and some of them already got its point across. Maybe it is because I am not a big fan of crime movies (unless they did something interesting with them like having a comedic tone), but the film is a little too long, so I think losing a few minutes will not hurt it.
Overall:
The last Academy Award-nominated film to watch, The Irishman is a long film and I can see why. There is so much to show what is happening in the life of Frank Sheeran in his time with the Italian Mafia. While I think it should be slightly shorter in some areas, I think this film is great. I admit it may not be my pick for Best Picture of 2019 (I am debating Joker, Parasite, or Marriage Story), but I can see why it was nominated. Not only was the acting great, but the character journey of Frank Sheeran’s rise and fall is intriguing, horrifying, and depressing. If you are a fan of mob films (which I admit that I am not that big into them) or Martin Scorsese, this should be another addition of mob film favorites.
9/10
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