As incredible as it is to see De Niro, Pacino, Pesci (maybe his best performance) back to mafia form, it’s the ending that drives this home for me. The ensemble is great too, all praise is given to those three for good reason, and obviously Scorsese as well, but god damn do I love Ray Romano here. Also, Anna Paquin is pretty underrated with her blistering, righteous anger late in the film. Marin Ireland also has a notable scene as well. 

The ending man. I think Frank would’ve told the feds at the end until they bring up his children. Frank couldn’t admit, not because he didn’t want to rat anyone out anymore, but because he doesn’t want to admit that truth of his legacy to his children. Obviously in real life, Frank either killed Hoffa or he didn’t, he did eventually tell this story to a publicist, and there’s compelling evidence that this story Irish tells is fiction. But if it was real, he’s as despicable man. Regardless of that fact, he is despicable. But he is a man. A human man. And this is a human story, one of the greatest ever told in the medium. Given Scorsese’s own legacy, and the legacy of these actors, there’s a lot of themes throughout the film. You can extrapolate beyond Hoffa and the plot, beyond even simple themes of crime and loyalty, to understand the film is as much a commentary on these events as it is these actors. And with this great balancing act, Scorsese creates a film that only he can. As much a callback to an earlier era in his career as it is a tribute to his lifelong obsessions, The Irishman is a miracle film. Could only have been improved with Ray Liotta, who does feel missed, both in the film and now as I write this review.  

Pretty much perfect, and my consistent pick for the movie that best improves on every rewatch.