In 2019, Scorsese gave a big gift to movie fans, who can see Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pessi and others in the same frame, which can be regarded as a "lifetime" series. The real old drama bones use age reduction techniques to cover up the wrinkles on their faces, but the slowness and disharmony on the limbs are still relatively unconventional.
Scorsese wanted to adapt the original "I heard you cleaned the house" from "The Irishman" into a movie more than ten years ago, but no film company is willing to invest in a gangster movie that has become a thing of the past. Thanks to Netflix for its investment. Bringing "The Irishman" to the screen is also grateful to the development of technology, which allows us to see the young actors (and handsome when they are old!).
"The Irishman" is a very Scorsese-style movie that continues the gangster theme he is very good at. In this year’s Oscars, "The Irishman" was only nominated in various awards, but this does not affect it as a successful gangster epic, and it can even be said to be the "Godfather" of our age. The three-and-a-half-hour narrative does not make people feel verbose, and every shot guides the development of the story. Let us look back at the most successful unpopular film of 2019-"The Irishman".
From the perspective of the male protagonist Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), the film tells the story of gangsters driven by American history. A colleague records one of the biggest unsettled cases in American history, the union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) Missing case. At the beginning of the movie, with the sound of "In the still of night" music, an elderly man recalls the wedding trip (actually an assassination mission) with his wife and friend Russell Bufalino (played by Joe Pesci) in 1975.
When I walked to a gas station, I recalled that I was in the 1950s with
Russell's encounter.
Three lines of film coexist. Frank retired and became a truck driver after World War II. After getting acquainted with Russell, he entered the gang and "cleaned the house" for the gang. He became an indispensable figure in the gang. Later he came to the chairman of the union, Jimmy Hoffa, and became his Right man and right arm. In the end, he personally killed his patrons, and the relationship between Frank and his daughter Peggy also reached a climax.
family
There is no lack of violent scenes in the film, and it seems reasonable in the United States where gangs were prevalent at the time. Gang affairs also involve politics, such as the Bay of Pigs incident, trade union corruption, the appointment and assassination of President Kennedy, and the death of Jimmy Hoffa. In these incidents, Hiran was directly and indirectly involved, more or less involved. In these events, director Scorsese created a perfect character for Frank.
Whether Frank is murdering and setting fire, or spending time with his family and friends, his facial expressions never seem to change. He rarely smiles. He only smiles rare when he sees his daughter Peggy. Frank loves his Peggy very much. Daughter Peggy was accused by the grocery store owner when she was a child. Frank stepped on the owner's finger in front of her daughter, which added a shadow to her daughter's growth. He has been concealing his identity as a killer from the family, but the family has long known that after killing his old patron and daughter Peggy's idol Jimmy Hoffa, his daughter never spoke to him again.
Even though he had become an old man who was almost unable to walk and came to the place where Peggy worked, he was indifferently rejected by Peggy.
Later, he came to another house that was not close to his daughter to explain the reason for his violent crime:
"I just want to protect you from harm."
"Who will not hurt?"
Years of gang life has paralyzed him, and he has forgotten why he embarked on the path of crime. Everything as it should be turned into a sharp sword to hurt the family, and at the same time hurt myself. The story in "The Irishman" is not only about gang fights, but also about family emotions. Cold killers are also ordinary people, and they are also influenced by emotions. Frank was portrayed as a man of flesh and blood, which is one of the reasons for the success of "The Irishman".
cause
Frank became Russell's top killer and was recommended by Russell to Union Chairman Jimmy Hoffa.
Jimmy Hoffa was the chairman of the American Truck Association in the 1950s and 1960s, and his reputation is not inferior to Elvis and The Beatles. At the same time, he also eats black and white. He is not only a glamorous worker leader, but also a lending gang leader.
Frank is Jimmy's most trusted person, and Jimmy also made Sheeran the chairman of the union. Jimmy, who fought with others because they were late, only said one sentence after Frank arrived late: "Hey, I waited for you for twenty minutes." Without knowing his most trusted friend, he personally killed him a few minutes later.
Frank is a cold assassin. He is at the mercy of others and pushed around by others. He is just a tool for murder, without any expression. After killing Jimmy, he called Jimmy's wife to pretend to be comforted. He felt a pity, but he didn't regret it. After getting old, I will sigh:
"What kind of talent would say that kind of thing."
He gained a lot and lost a lot.
repent
When Frank and Russell were sent to jail, their age had already wiped out their edge.
Russell has been the most powerful gang leader, but now he is just an ordinary old man, going to church every week. All the characters are aging, and the power and wealth of the past have long since turned into a cloud of smoke. Frank's accomplices gradually passed away. The gang is left with a lonely old man.
The passing of time made him miserable, he confessed and sought religious help. He is lonely, and his family has long been separated from him. It is ridiculous that when he learned from the FBI that his lawyer was dead, he asked:
"Who did it?"
He has been killing for many years, and he has long forgotten that birth, old age, sickness and death are the laws of nature, and the mark of the gang has been firmly imprinted on him, regardless of age. Eventually time played with him.
end
Time is the final winner. It was so famous that no one knows it now. At the end of the film, when the priest leaves, Frank asks to leave a gap in the door. It may be that I am lonely and want to share my old past with others. It may be that I am waiting for a long-lost greeting from my daughter Peggy. It may be...
He was successful and miserable. Is it fate? Or is it deserved?
No way to know
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