I reserve the right to change my mind later due to recency bias (although I’m sure I won’t) but fuck it: this is my new favorite Scorsese film. And probably one of my 15 or so favorite movies ever.

Let’s do some notes, baby.

SPOILERS
- The opening tracking shot through a nursing home perfectly set the tone for what this would be. Gone is the hustle and bustle of the Copacabana. This is a still, sterile place where you go after the fun is over.

- Got to get me a replica of Frank’s ring he got from Russell.

- The use of ‘In The Still of the Night” gave me chills this time. Maybe the context of the song corrupted my thinking, but something about it sounds sinister. Like it’s a song being sung by the devil.

- This might be one of the 3 or 4 best edited movies I’ve ever seen. For a movie this long, dealing with 3 different time periods (old Frank, the road trip, and various flashbacks) it moves effortlessly. This must have been a puzzle to put together. Unlike a lot of people, it definitely feels like a 3 1/2 hour movie to me, but on rewatch, I still couldn’t tell where I was in the runtime. 2 hours in? An hour? I had no idea.

- The music in general is just 🔥. It all underscores the action perfectly, the Anastasia hit being a personal favorite. I love how it held on the flowers.

- One thing I noticed this time is that Scorsese doesn’t give us a clear view of every hit. The Anastasia barbershop being one, and Jimmy’s death being the other that jumps to mind. Definitely going to pay closer attention to what is/isn’t shown next time. And there will be a next time. Twice more in theaters and probably a million more on Netflix.

- The youthifying is a little tough to buy the first few scenes, but you really do get used to it. There were only a couple spots where the actors ages really me out of the experience. One being the scene where Frank kicks the shit out of the shop owner who pushed his daughter. You could tell De Niro was in his mid 70’s in that scene. The only other moment was of Hoffa when he was taking to Tony Pro in prison. Pacino overall looks great, but the lighting combined with his hunch kind of took the illusion away.

- De Niro/Sheeran: Wow. De Niro hasn’t been this good since Casino. Frank is a stuttering mess who’s caught between his wife (Bufalino) and his mistress (Hoffa). Whatever choice he’d have to make would destroy him. De Niro’s vulnerability, especially in that last hour, is truly staggering. The phone call he makes to Jo after the deed is done might be the best he’s ever been. Frank is unraveling in that moment, and De Niro plays it perfectly. I really didn’t know he had this in him. I’ll get into it in a bit, but the anguish he feels really made this movie tor me. Another moment De Niro nails is when he’s in the car with Jimmy at the end. Frank hugs Jimmy a little longer than Jimmy hugs him. Loved that.

- Pesci/Bufalino: On the complete opposite end of the spectrum as Tommy DeVito, Russell Bufalino is quiet, manipulative, measured, and terrifying because of what he could do more than he would. Pesci coming out of retirement for this role is akin to Jesus in the resurrection for me. And I can tell I’ll be bouncing between pulling for him or Pacino until the minute the Best Supporting Actor is announced in Febuary. There are a lot of great Pesci moments, but the ones that stand out to me the most are: every minute of the Frank Sheeran Ceremony, when he comes home covered in blood, making the salad with Frank, and the cute little joke he told Peggy. But really, every Pesci scene I can make an argument for as my favorite.

- Pacino/Hoffa: To quote my favorite tweet about the film: “Pacino unhinges his jaw and swallows this thing whole like a python choking down a gazelle carcass, berserker mode king shit.” Yep. Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa is played like a mad king, surrounded by enemies. He keeps Fitz close because he feels he can walk in front of him without being knifed, which is exactly what happens when he goes to school, adding to the paranoia. Viscerally, we get a lot of yelling, unmitigated fury, and all the best parts of over-the-top Pacino of now, mixed with the Pacino of old, who can go toe to toe with anybody. All of the biggest laughs came from him this time. Once again, having to pull for him or Pesci in the Oscar race will drive me to insanity.

- While the singular performances are masterful, the interaction between the 3 takes this to another level. Pacino and Pesci playing off each other was nothing short of a joy to behold, I wish there was more of it, but I also kind of liked that dynamic of their relationship. You felt the distance and the mystery of how they came together in the first place. The movie didn’t really touch on it (can’t remember if the book did) but it was fun to think about how they came together. It was also so great to see Al and Bob have a few proper scenes together. The scene between Frank and Hoffa after Jimmy rips on his staff was particularly great. And the 2 of them in the 3rd act? Gut wrenching.

- Shoutout to Stephen Graham, an englishman, for flawlessly playing Tony Pro. His performance definitely makes you understand why Pro would have his own theme song. 

- Another shoutout to Sebastian Maniscalco as Crazy Joe Gallo. What was a throwaway exposition line in Goodfellas gets fleshed out as Scorsese re-writes the myth of the Gallo hit. Maniscalco was excellent in the role. He only had a few minutes to work with and he made the most of them. He has a terrific screen presence.

- Of all the titlecards given specifying the how and why of these mobsters demises, Tony Giacalone is the best. Liked by all, died of natural causes. Always gets a laugh.

- Dumb Thing: I loved the ties in this movie. The costuming was predictably top notch, but the ties really pushed it over the top. Give Sandy the Oscar. Give her 10.

- The only negative I have on this movie is how Peggy was handled. I liked what they did with her as a kid, and her relationship with Hoffa was handled beautifully. I would have certainly liked to hear more from her as an adult, but I can understand Scorsese saving her for the end. The moment she has with Frank after Hoffa disappears was powerful.

- One of my 3 or so favorite moments is Frank showing old photos to his nurse, specifically of Peggy and Jimmy, the two biggest losses of his life. He carries his sins to the very end, especially that one. The random hits, the beatings, the theft, none if it matters to Frank. Killing his friend and severing the last connection with his daughter? He’s paying the price for that. And the closer to death he gets, the more he realizes he’ll keep paying.

- When I saw it the first time, I didn’t appreciate the significance of the last shot. I understood it at face value; Frank all alone. But in one of the most subtle callbacks in recent memory, the moment of Frank asking the priest leave the door open just a little bit is an echo from Frank’s first trip to Chicago with Jimmy. Without bringing any attention to it, Jimmy goes to bed, instinctually leaving the door open just a little bit. In the last frame of the movie, we have a visual representation of the regret Frank feels. Jimmy hasn’t left him. He never will. He’s the ghost Frank will see at his bedside.

- I really can’t say enough about the last half hour, showing Frank as the last man (barely) standing. Forced to live among the rubble, with nothing to live for, he spends his time planning his own death.

- What kind of man makes a phone call like that?

- The main reason this jumps to the top of my Scorsese canon is the emotional undercurrent. Goodfellas and Wolf are of course great films, some of the best, but they don’t have this much emotion in them. The Irishman is a stirring epic about the mob, but it’s really about friendship and regret. 2 of the 3 universal feelings (love being the other) that I think define human existence. This is Scorsese’s Unforgiven. He’s taking the genre he’s partially responsible for, and putting a bullet in it’s head. 

- I know ratings are a silly thing, but this movie makes we want to drop 90% of the movies I’ve seen by a star or more. This is in a class of its own.

- This “review” is a behemoth already, so just know, dear reader, that it could have been much, much longer. This is one of my new all time favorite movies.