Just like Lao Ma’s usual tune, this movie is about the life of the Mafia gang. The Irishman refers to Frank Sheeran, the Philadelphia gangster killer. Frank is a veteran of World War II, after retiring he became a humble truck driver. But by coincidence, he later served in the crime family of Philadelphia's largest mafia leader Russell and became a trusted cold-faced killer. He participated in the mysterious disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the boss of the Truckers Union in 1975. Screenwriter Zaillian adapted the 2004 Charles Brandt crime bestseller "I Heard You Paint Houses". "I Heard You Paint Houses" is a black word for carrying out a murder attack, which means to paint them with blood. This black word implies Hoffa's final death.
Many aspects of this movie remind me of Goodfellas, an old horse movie that I really liked many years ago. On the surface, it seems that The Irishman and Goodfellas have many things in common, including the use of the same main actors De Niro and Joe Pessi, a similar Italian mafia setting, a display of the protagonist’s growth process, and an epic film narrative. And a slightly longer duration (the former is over three hours, and the latter is over two and a half hours). However, the two styles are quite different. The real difference lies in the tone of the narrative. Goodfellas appears more violent and manic in narrative and performance, while The Irishman is calm and serious, with a tone that is very close to funeral. The former expresses an agitated rise and rapid decline, while the latter shows a slow and gradual decline process, which is full of restraint compared with the former's external release. The reason for this difference may be the age when Ma’s created the film, or it may be based on the theme of the film. Goodfellas was created in 1990. At that time, Ma was 48 years old. He was at the peak of his personal film creation. The film tells the story of how a young man was influenced and changed by the gang culture. The rhythm is cheerful and jokes, while realism is the keynote. Full of tension and black humor. And The Irishman is more like a serious meditation on the life of the gang, its pace is slow and solemn. At this time, Ma is 76 years old, and this movie is more like thinking about how a middleman between gangs affects himself and the people around him. The movie mainly revolves around the story of Frank, the middleman, dealing with the gang and becoming the main character's right-hand man. Gang life, the values of the gang, and some cross stories (the Kennedy family, the Cuban invasion and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa) form the surface of the film, but the film is far more than that. The film is also about code words and black words, about the way things are discussed without being discussed, about small talks and meetings that can determine the fate of a person or a group of people, as well as bloody experiences and lessons, and only doing A skill in the industry that can only be mastered after many years of doing it. It even discussed many deeper meanings: life and death, glory and aging, gain and loss, justice and sin, betrayal and loyalty. If Goodfellas is a carnival party for young mafia, and the protagonists indulge in easy money, fast cruelty and faster enjoyment, and a series of immoral qualities that fascinate crime movie fans, The Irishman is a solemn one. , There is no romance at all, a retrospect of darkness and violence.
The film opens with a long, lazy shot, which runs through the corridors of nursing homes, through all kinds of retired elderly people, and finally falls on Frank. He is very old and alone. The background music at this time is In The Still of The Night, and this song also runs through the movie. Frank in the camera is an old weird man in a wheelchair. Unlike the excitement and public narrative of Henry, the protagonist of Goodfellas, Frank doesn't seem anxious at all. Although the story he is about to tell is full of violence, anger, blood and betrayal, his feelings are placed in a distant place in the narrative, which also makes his words appear more focused, objective and practical in the ears of the listeners. . This is also what makes Frank's character impressive, and his charm lies. Compared to Jimmy Hoffa's madness and dramatic performance played by Al Pacino, Frank's performance is a continuous restraint. Without the gorgeous body display and eye-catching speeches, he has always been calm and composed, insightful and angerless. No one can see any extra expression on his face other than leisurely. Frank bought himself a coffin in the end, even he was calm at that time. It seems that only when no one is around can we slightly see Frank's subtle thoughts and feelings in his face and eyes. This is also the inner world of Frank, the cold-faced killer, that no one can touch except the audience. Although there are no tears in many moments, it is depressing to make people move. Maybe a person who is calm and accustomed, any trace of emotion will look particularly moving.
At the end of the film, Frank was assigned to kill a man he had worked loyally for many years when he got off the plane. That man was his boss and brother, Jimmy Hoffa, who respected each other and shared hardships and happiness with him. Frank is Jimmy's handyman, bodyguard, military adviser, and friend. They often share a hotel suite and put on pajamas to go to bed like a sad old couple. At this moment, Frank was assigned to kill this man. This should be the climax of the film, a collection of dramatic contradictions and conflicts, as well as suspense about how the protagonist makes choices. But on the camera Frank is sitting there, without saying a word, without expression on his face, his inner world is experiencing an absolute conflict, and he is about to become Judas. He sat silently, ready to deal with reality. This is his destiny. Caught between multiple people he should be loyal, he must be responsible for that highest authority at the moment. That person was not Hoffa, but Russell, the leader of the Mafia. Compared to Hoffa's habit of ranting and intimidating others, Russell is the one who always sits on the sidelines and holds the direction of power. For him, power is like an extension of life, and hardly anyone or anything can bother him. Hidden under the mask of Hoffa's rage and exaggeration is vulnerability and insecurity, emotional and childishness, his length of time that he can't see the situation and act impulsively. Of course Frank knew who he should be loyal to at this time.
When Frank has completed his vital betrayal, he must call Hoffa's wife to tell him that Hoffa is dead, pretending that he doesn't know. Frank in this scene is as calm as ever, only Hoffa's wife wailing on the other side of the phone. But this scene is almost heartbreaking. We have no way of knowing what the cold-blooded killer Frank is thinking at the moment, whether there is a trace of regret. We only know that he is cold-blooded, as he was shaped from the beginning, just obeying orders.
At the end of the film, Frank tried to make up for his violent crimes in the past, so he prayed to a priest for forgiveness. But he couldn't feel anything. He didn't feel guilty, regretted, or sad for his past actions, although intellectually he knew he should do it and wanted to do it. He has lived a violent life for almost his entire life. Violence has become another aspect of life without any other more or less meaning. He seemed to have cut off his nerves that felt pain and guilt since a long time ago. Behind Goodfellas, Henry betrayed everyone easily and escaped prison for the protection of witnesses. What we felt was joking, but in The Irishman, these gang members seemed to be older and more tired. They don't seem to have a lot of fun like they did at Goodfellas. What we see more is not happily gratitude, not who stepped on someone's foot and who refused to apologize. What we see is more regret, helplessness, and even pain. Like in all Martin Scorsese movies, The Irishman never glorified the violence it showed us, nor did it make the bloody plot look like a peacock like most gorgeous action movies. In Irishman, we also don't see the bridge segment like most commercial crime movies—at the end the protagonist realizes his mistakes, reforms, and re-behaves. This film portrays violent crime as a cruel utilitarian cause. The Irishman does not need criminal reasons and clear motives like a clown, there is no childhood abuse or misfortune, and unlike some commercial crime movies, bad guys turn evil into good people. The Irishman doesn't have a special feeling about killing. Whether it is pleasure or regret, there is nothing in his heart to face, and why shouldn't this be shown in the movie? What we saw was a very real cold-faced killer, a man who used violence for most of his life to complete tasks, and finally betrayed his master. He doesn't need any special beautification or blackening. That's who he is. A house painter. But we are still moved. At the end of the film, Frank was seeing off the pastor. He sat alone in the dim light and asked the pastor to leave a small gap in the door. This is Jimmy Hoffa's habitual behavior, which is regarded as a nostalgia for his lifelong friend and the person he killed by himself. There is no soundtrack, no close-ups, Frank is sitting in the distant view of the camera, we see him through the crack of the door, sitting and looking out of the crack of the door, it seems that something is still waiting for. The film continued in silence for nearly ten seconds. Then the curtain closed, the familiar music played
In the still of the night I held you Held you tight'Cause I love Love you so Promise i'll never Let you go In the still of the night
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