Making his first narrative Netflix movie, Martin Scorsese delivered a crime masterpiece withThe Irishman. While thebest Scorsese moviesprove a versatility that few other filmmakers could achieve, it is hard to deny that he excels at gangster movies. The genre has helped to shape his career and has made him one of thegreatest directors ever.
Scorsese continues to make ambitious and cinematic movies, but he has also begun working with streaming platforms in recent years.Scorsese’s historical crime epicThe Killers of the Flower Moonwas his first movie with Apple TV+, but the filmmaker previously teamed with Netflix on a gangster movie filled with Scorsese’s frequent collaborators.
The Irishman Is A 10/10 Modern Gangster Movie
The Irishmanis anothergangster movie masterpiecefrom Martin Scorsese and proof that he still has things to say in this genre. Scorsese reteamed with Robert De Niro for the ninth time, as the legendary actor plays Frank Sheeran, a real-life hitman for the mob who also claimed to be the man who killed union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
LikeGoodfellasandCasino, The Irishmanis a decades-expanding story that details Sheeran’s life in the mob, his friendship with Hoffa, and the aftermath of his murder. However, the movie also feels like an epilogue to those earlier gangster movies, exploring what happens when these men grow old.
Rather than being about money and power,The Irishmanexplores themes of guilt and loyalty in this world. Even for those unfamiliar with the story of Hoffa, the movie shows how woven into the history of America this saga was. It makes it all the more impactful when the movie reaches current times, and none of that matters anymore.
De Niro gives one of his best performancesof the 21st century, and Pacino is as fiery and entertaining as ever. Joe Pesci also steals the show with a brilliant supporting performance. With all these figures teaming with Scorsese onThe Irishman, it feels like they are collectively confronting their own legacy within the gangster movie genre.
How The Irishman Ranks Against Martin Scorsese’s Gangster Classics
When it comes toMartin Scorsese’s gangster movies,The Irishmanis an essential piece of the collection, but it faces stiff competition in terms of which of those movies is the best. As often as Scorsese has explored this genre, all of these movies are worthwhile in their own way and explore something different.
Fittingly, it was the gangster movie genre that finally wonScorsese an Oscar for Best Directorand Best Director, withThe Departed. One of Scorsese’s most mainstream movies, it might not actually be his best and most profound movie, but it is a hugely entertaining crime movie from the master filmmaker.
Mean Streetsalso deserves special recognition as Scorsese’s terrific first gangster movie, taking a look at a younger generation striving to be part of this world.Casinois another exhilarating look at the opulence of the mob world, though it does suffer slightly from feeling too similar to what came before.
Ultimately,Goodfellasis Scorsese’s best mob movieand the best movie he has ever directed. The journey he takes the audience on shows the intoxicating thrill of the mob world, which gradually falls apart into violence and paranoia. Scorsese never hits a false note and gives an authenticity to this world that no other movie has achieved.
WhileThe Irishmandoesn’t quite reach the same heights asGoodfellas, it is a movie that keeps improving with time. Despite being a three-hour epic, it is incredibly rewatchable and certainly the most emotional of Scorsese’s gangster movies. It sits comfortably among the others and highlights the filmmaker’s brilliance.
