The Irishman
The digital de-ageing isn't poor, as much as the need to have De Niro there at all times limited it. The early stuff is hilarious, because you clearly have this older guy trying to move like he's 40 years younger and it's very noticeable. The de-aging would have looked better if they put younger stand-ins to perform the physicality. Then in post-production slap the actors' faces on them. Maybe if Scorsese watched a Marvel movie or two, he might have seen good to great examples of how to do digital de-ageing properly. Thankfully, everything else is strong enough to not make the de-ageing gimmick become a complete hindrance.
The story is well crafted and this film is deliberately far more languid and somber than Scorsese's other gangster pictures. This is a movie made and spoken by an old man contemplating his morality and the life he has led. By the end we are stripped away all mythos and opera, leaving just the truth to sit before you.
Stellar performances across the board from De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci as we knew these giants in acting would deliver. It was wonderful seeing De Niro and Pesci back together on screen. They always play so well off each other. Pesci played his character with such a silent confidence and aged bravado that we haven't seen a lot of. Quiet but deadly. Al Pacino steals the show as a fiery Jimmy Hoffa with an endlessly charismatic presence, dynamic line delivery, and chewing up every second of screen time afforded. Mad funny too.
Frank's daughter Peggy is possibly the most powerful presence in the film as she brings a moral view that cuts like a knife through all the BS. It's the subtlety of this character that makes Peggy's viewpoint the most powerful. I saw Peggy's power as a character grow as she grew from quiet little girl to estranged daughter. The way they insert shots of her watching her father at all the pivotal moments, it's actually her silence that ultimately plays an essential role in Frank's inward look toward the sins of his life, which makes this film more reflective, introspective, and a stark confrontation of choices than any other mobster film I've seen. It's a powerful storytelling choice.
This entire picture was structured masterfully. Given the film's themes, it's like a funeral, the end of an era. This is a case where everyone's ages help enhance the film and its themes. I don't think it would have been as powerful if anyone else or even Scorsese fifteen years ago made it. These are all guys who hit their peak a long time ago, but are still the best at what they do and that is telling incredible stories. They have come a long journey as artists and people. You really gotta live quite a life to make this movie.
The coda of this film whittles away the gangster tropes until there is nothing left but the solemn and universal truth of our frailty, of the ways our choices can impact our lives, and the fact that every earthly thing we strive for can't really be counted on when the sun is going down on us. The door will eventually close, like it or not. It is an existential elegy that doesn't just make this a worthy entry for Scorsese in his crime movie canon, it makes it a necessary final statement.
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