Mafia movie highlights the men behind the men
While most would argue that the most iconic American film genre would be the Western, the gangster film might be a close second. They share many of the same ideas—order vs. chaos, machismo as virtue, violence as the ultimate solution, etc. Our most notable actors can be found in these films, from Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp.
Their performances owe a great deal to earlier films like White Heat featuring James Cagney or Little Caesar with Edward G. Robinson. As long as there have been movies, there have been films about gangsters. More specifically, as the years go on, film has focused increasingly on the Italian mafia.
There is likely an element of bigotry in this popularity. As with most immigrant groups, Italians faced prejudice on the shores of their new nation and fear of the other opened doors to tall tales of the cosa nostra and a mythologizing of the mob. Rooted in elements of truth, these stories made for great movies, the best of which turned the focus internally to the characters of the criminals themselves.
Each generation has their own Mafioso—James Cagney, Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, James Gandolfini. With all respect to filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Robert De Palma, it was Martin Scorsese that modernized the genre, paving the way for show runners like David Chase to create essential mafia material like The Sopranos.
Scorsese has released his most recent film, The Irishman, direct to Netflix with a limited theater release (not in Chattanooga, it seems, as AMC and Regal are opposed to films being released simultaneously on a streaming platform), and it’s as complex a film as any in his filmography.
It’s a twilight movie, one that moves away from the party atmosphere of Goodfellas, examining the life of an aging hitman and the nature of regret.
Frank Sheerhan (Robert De Niro) is a WWII vet who makes a living driving meat trucks. Early on, Sheerhan meets a man named Skinny Razor (Bobby Cannavale), a member of the Philidephia mafia, and arranges to sell some of the meat on the side.
When he gets caught, Sheerhan is assigned a union lawyer by the name Bill Buffalino (Ray Romano), who gets him off scot free despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Bill later introduces Sheerhan to his cousin Russell (Joe Pesci), the head of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family. Sheerhan begins to do small jobs for Russell, eventually culminating in hits. As Sheerhan works his way up the ranks, he becomes a bodyguard for Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film then follows the history of the Hoffa story, all the way up to his infamous disappearance.
Obviously, the cast for the film is outstanding. It’s a film that sprawls, spanning decades, which necessitates some CGI de-aging for the principle players. Given that many of us have grown up with these actors, we know what they looked like in their youth, which can sometimes be jarring in early scenes.
But the story is strong, and the performances stronger, which makes the suspension of disbelief all the easier.
There has also been some talk about the lack of female characters in the film. This is a valid concern—the women in the film are very much side characters, with very few lines, and little development. Given the subject matter, the male-centric casting is appropriate.
Scorsese hasn’t shied away from female roles—Lorraine Bracco was an essential part of Goodfellas, as were Sharon Stone in Casino and Cathy Moriarty in Raging Bull. Instead, this is a deliberate choice by Scorsese to highlight the isolation of the main character in particular.
The women in the film were side characters in the lives of the men portrayed and their absence in relation to the action of the film is meant to show the devastation of the mafia lifestyle. It’s a film about choices and consequences. Their abandonment is the point.
The Irishman is a film by a master of his craft, returning to a genre that he helped shape, that shows how much there is to say.
Good films are about subjects; great films are about people. Martin Scorsese shows the people behind the bravado, cuts through the lifestyle, and reveals the shell that remains.
It’s a beautiful film.