“Irishman” First Reactions: ‘It’s A Masterpiece’
“THE IRISHMAN – Audacious, epic, a film that feels like it spans lifetimes yet whisks by. Technically bold, performances raw and darkly humourous, it is the culmination of Scorsese’s genre fascinations, and a late-career triumph. Truly cinematic, demanding to be seen big #nyff57” –
Jason Gorber
“THE IRISHMAN is like a greatest hits album from a master of the medium. Yes, that’s a positive. The artifice of de-aging is more feature than bug. It’s not “slow.” It often moves like lightening & elsewhere it’s downright Bressonian.” –
Eric Kohn
“THE IRISHMAN is not GOODFELLAS/CASINO part 3. Different pace different tone. It is, however, absolutely fucking fantastic and I am floored. All hail the King.” –
Jordan Hoffman
“THE IRISHMAN is good! takes 90 minutes to lock in & clear out the cobwebs / adjust to CGI, but the scope is a virtue, the performances are killer (Joseph! Frank! Pesci!) & it eventually coheres into a heart-stopping meditation on the myopia of time. An old man movie for the ages.” –
David Ehrlich
“THE IRISHMAN: Pacino unhinges his jaw and swallows this thing whole like a python choking down a gazelle carcass, berserker mode king s–t” –
Charles Bramesco
“THE IRISHMAN is a masterwork. Funny, epic, and most of all, melancholy. It’s Scorsese confronting aging, legacies, and mortality. I may or may not have teared up at the end..” –
Chris Evangelista
“Martin Scorsese’s bid to make his CITIZEN KANE is pretty close to a masterpiece. De Niro, Pacino, Pesci are all firing on all cylinders, and the 3+ hour runtime rarely drags. The de-aging effects are rough but I couldn’t imagine this sprawling saga without De Niro the entire time” –
Hoai-Tran Bui
“THE IRISHMAN: Think GOODFELLAS, but directed by the man who gave us SILENCE. A culmination, meditation and tribute to every Scorsese/De Niro/Pesci collaboration. And yet, Al Pacino towers over all of them with a funny, sad and haunting performance as Jimmy Hoffa.” –
Jordan Ruimy
“#TheIrishman is Scorsese’s version of “On the Waterfront” meets “The Godfather,” almost a swan song with an added layer of nostalgia for his own past work. The editing is particularly excellent and all three actors are strong #NYFF57 #NYFF” –
J. Don Birnam
“Boy. #TheIrishman is a fitting homecoming for De Niro, Pacino, Pesci, and Scorsese’s ode to gangster cinema. Hilarious and sharply written. A portrait of mortality and legacy, told like a culmination of everything we have ever seen in this genre. It’s LONG but never boring. #NYFF” –
Kevin L. Lee
“I wish I could take a photo in he dark of all these people on their phones doing twitter hot takes on #TheIrishman. Here’s mine: it’s middle of the Scorsese pack. Def more of a sober character study than classic tense mob thriller. I suspect the word “masterpiece” is going to be thrown around a lot. I wouldn’t go that far. But the acting is (of course) top top top. Pacino especially. ” –
Mara Reinstein