Film Review: THE IRISHMAN

Romano, De Niro and Pacino

Now playing in a living room near you, The Irishman runs for three-and-a-half hours and believe it or not, it flies by. This is mostly due to Robert De Niro, the title character whose incredible performance takes you into another world you're in no hurry to leave. You just want the movie to go on and on. The great thing about it being on Netflix is it can, anytime you're ready. A second viewing is almost required since there's so much to take in visually, it being set mainly in the 1950s and 60s.

And in case you dislike De Niro (as I do) for his loud and obnoxious political views he feels compelled to shout from the rooftops, there's also great acting by Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano and a host of other familiar faces from every movie about the Mafia you've seen in the past.

Another wondrous aspect of Martin Scorcese's latest look at the horrors of organized crime is the music. Starting with the opening scene, the camera snaking through the corridors of a nursing home accompanied by the 1956 version of The Five Satin's "In the Still of the Night" and continuing throughout the film with a fabulous original score by the prolific Robbie Robertson, formerly of The Band, there's great music in almost every frame.

Now for the bad stuff, which abounds. A new, computerized technology not quite ready for prime time tinkers with the aging of the stars, so one minute they're young and the next they're old, and the next they are really, really old. Sadly, everyone looks sort of like puppet heads, but after about the first hour you just accept it and stop groaning. Also, since we're talking Mafia it's plenty violent, with countless gruesome shootings, spattered blood on sidewalks and piano wires strung around necks, that sort of thing.

Still, it's great.