The Irishman
The Irishman is a once-in-a-lifetime film made by the veterans that shaped the mafia genre. I genuinely enjoyed it, even with its massive runtime. While it definitely could’ve been trimmed, the length ends up serving the story in my opinion. It makes the film feel immersive and deeply personal, showing us a man’s entire life slowly erode to nothing by time. By the end, it really makes you reflect on what you’re building for yourself and whether it’s actually worth it or not.
The performances are phenomenal across the board, and words honestly don’t do them justice. The main flaw comes early on, where the de-aging technology struggles to convince, especially in the first 30–45 minutes. Watching a seventy-something-year-old play a man in his thirties breaks the illusion at times, and those moments feel kinda goofy. Still, that issue fades as the film goes on. What makes the movie interesting, in my opinion, is how its metaphors quietly stack as it goes on, reinforcing the narrative and themes.
The movie didn’t hit me emotionally in a devastating way yet, probably because I still have my whole life ahead of me. But it made me think, and it feels like the kind of film that will hit much harder years from now. It’s one I know I’ll return to many years in the future.