“The Irishman” Movie Review

    I have been waiting to see Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” since it was announced.  I have to admit that I was surprised to learn that it was going to be a Netflix film since Scorsese is such an old school filmmaker.  I will fully admit that on Tuesday night, I stayed up so I could watch the film (although at roughly three and a half hours, I ended up having to finish it in the morning).  This film has received wide spread acclaim so I had to see if the film is really the masterpiece it is being made out to be.

    The film tells the story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and his connections to the Mafia and the labor unions under the leadership of the infamous Jimmy Hoffa.  Sheeran gets his start in the criminal underworld working under Mafia boss Russell Bufalino.  Sheeran quickly gains favor with Russell and becomes one of this most loyal hitmen.  Bufalino introduces Frank to Jimmy Hoffa and the pair become friends shortly after their introduction.  Frank becomes Hoffa’s primary bodyguard while he is head of the Teamsters.  The film chronicles Frank’s torn loyalty to his friend Hoffa and his boss Bufalino as Hoffa begins to clash with the Mafia families who helped him rise to power.

    Let me start this review by stating that this movie is long.  That isn’t to say the film doesn’t make the best of every second or that I necessarily think it would have been better if they edited the film down, but at the three and a half hour long runtime, it is still difficult to take it all in during one sitting (I couldn’t even manage to do so).  One advantage to this being a Netflix film is that it is possible to pause it and come back to it if you have to take a bathroom break without missing any of the film.  I would recommend taking a bathroom break roughly one hour into the film right before Jimmy Hoffa is introduced (it makes for a good intermission in my opinion).

    The film definitely feels more like a classic Martin Scorsese film in the vain of “Goodfellas” and “Casino”.  Scorsese is definitely the master of the Mafia epics and this film joins the long list of his classics.  Scorsese has always been a very visual storyteller and this film is greatly enhanced by his eye for detail.  The depiction of Detroit, Michigan during the mid 70s was very accurate for instance.

    What makes “The Irishman” so captivating is it’s performances.  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci all deliver powerhouse performances in this character driven motion picture.  Robert De Niro knocks it out of the park as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran right on the heels of his standout performance in “Joker”.

    In a supporting role, Al Pacino is the best he has been in years.  Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa is a charismatic leader without the foresight to know when to quit.  It was nice to see Al Pacino actually care about a role for a change.  It was great seeing Pacino and De Niro’s natural chemistry together on screen.  Rounding out the main cast was Joe Pesci.  Pesci has famously been retired for years and had turned down several projects before Martin Scorsese was able to persuade him out of retirement.  On a side note, I thought it was interesting seeing someone playing David Ferrie in this film was a bit distracting considering Joe Pesci famously played Ferrie in the movie “JFK”.

    The film digitally de-aged it’s three lead actors for several scenes fairly successfully.  There were only a few scenes with an uncanny valley effect but it was primarily with De Niro’s scenes and it was one of the best uses of de-aging technology overall I have seen to this date.

    “The Irishman” deserves the acclaim it has received and is a return to form for many of the actors headlining the film.  Though the runtime makes it feel a bit more like a mini-series than a movie, it is an excellent character study.  If you have a free afternoon (or day), “The Irishman” is worth the watch.

Grade: A-

“White Boy Rick” Movie Review

    I grew up in Westland, Michigan until moving to the small town of Howell, Michigan.  Westland is about 15-20 miles from downtown Detroit and both cities are in Wayne County.  My grandparents on my dad’s side remained in Detroit until their passing and saw the city go from a beautiful metropolis to a war zone because of the race riots.  As a result, tensions and crime have remained a constant in the city.  Like any conflict or war, there are undoubtedly people who try to capitalize on the situation.  One such individual was a kid nicknamed White Boy Rick.

    “White Boy Rick” is based on the true story of Rick Wershe Jr. and his father during the drug epidemic of the 80s in Detroit, Michigan.  Rick Wershe Sr. and his son sold guns under the table which led Rick Jr. down the path be ends up on.  After the FBI press his father, Rick Jr. agrees to become an informant for the bureau (he was the youngest informant in history at the age of 14).  Rick sells drugs on the behave of the FBI and becomes a recognizable figure in the drug suppling underworld in Detroit (hence the nickname of White Boy Rick).  Things go sour for Rick Jr. after local gangster Johnny Curry has Rick Jr. shot over fears he might be working for the feds.  After Curry and his crew end up getting arrested, Rick Jr. lies low for awhile.  After awhile however, White Boy Rick decides to sell cocaine again and lives large until the FBI arrest him and offer him a deal if he helps them with another big bust.  Unfortunately for White Boy Rick, the FBI looked the other way at his trial and Rick was sentenced to life in prison.

    White Boy Rick was a famous figure in Detroit and his story is well known.  While no one regarded Rick Wershe Jr. as a saint, he was also a figure most thought got a raw deal.  Rick spent roughly thirty years in prison and was the longest serving prisoner for a non violent crime.  The movie depicts Rick Wershe Jr. as he was, a monster created by the system and then abandoned by the same system.

    Richie Merritt plays the title character of Rick Wershe Jr. and does a convincing job of a kid who is manipulated by his father and then by the government.  Matthew McConaughey received top billing as Rick Wershe Sr. but is in more of a supporting role.  McConaughey does a fantastic job and even manages to tone down his accent and manage a passable midwestern accent.  The movie hinges greatly on the performances of Merritt and McConaughey and they bring their A game.

    Director Yann Demange manages to capture much of the atmosphere of late 80s Detroit despite it primarily being filmed in Cleveland.  Some second unit shooting was down in Detroit and I do wish more iconic settings were featured like Eastern Market (I have fond memories of Eastern Market as a kid).

    Of course, I have a bit of a personal connection to the movie because my grandparents lived near and knew Rick Wershe Sr. and Jr.  They actually thought he was a relatively nice young man (though their judgement in character wasn’t particularly good as you might have figured).  He had even been to their house as crazy as that sounds.

    “White Boy Rick” received mixed reviews and the film isn’t perfect.  Despite being fairly immersive, the film has some pacing issues and I do wish the film focused a bit more on the dynamic of the Wershe family. I have a feeling that is where a lot of the criticism regarding the film was derived from.  While all of those complaints can be made, I feel like those complaints equate more to nitpicking in the scope of the rest of the film.  Was the movie perfect?  No. Was the movie better than the average film based on a true story?  I personally think it was.

    I would personally recommend “White Boy Rick” to anyone interested in Michigan history or fans of crime dramas.  The film shows you the dark side of the city I spent a lot of my youth visiting and I lived near by.  I have an admittedly soft spot in my heart for Detroit history and for better or worse, White Boy Rick will remain an important figure in that history.

Grade: B