The overwhelming nature of the story that The Irishman looks to tell is really only matched by its gigantic runtime. At 209 minutes in length, it’s an incredibly long – though very rewarding – viewing experience. And while those who see it in theaters have no choice but to sit through the entire thing uninterrupted, Netflix subscribers have the obvious advantage of passive pausing.
Of course, some would argue that doing so would break the flow of the movie and ruin it on some level. After all, The Irishman was delicately put together by experienced, talented filmmakers and is really the kind of film that isn’t made too often anymore. But still, no doubt a lot people watching it on Netflix will feel the need to pause and if you really have to do so, there’s one scene in particular that many have pointed out as being the ideal spot to take a break.
It comes right before the two-hour mark, when we see Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa having a meeting with Tony Provenzano (Stephen Graham) in an empty club. Hoffa isn’t exactly happy with Tony being late or his choice of attire and things escalate fairly quickly between the two, as Robert De Niro’s Frank Sheeran – who’s also present – tries to smooth things over.
It’s a great, tense scene, and with things only heating up from there, it’s an ideal spot to take a break and resume once you’ve stretched your legs and maybe had a bite to eat. Again, some may frown upon pausing a movie in the middle, but for those of you who can’t sit through the entire thing, try giving it a pause right once this scene comes to an end.
Alternatively, there’ve been other suggestions as good pause points as well, with another popular pick being a bit earlier on, at 1 hour 48 minutes in. ScreenRant are the ones who first brought this moment up as a good place to take a break and here’s their reasoning:
Following a scene in the comedy club with Frank, Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and Crazy Joe (Sebastian Maniscalco), Frank carries out a hit, and then his daughter Peggy (Anna Paquin) watches a report of it on the news. It’s a dramatic, tense sequence that you want in full because of the build-up and fallout. However, it transitions back into Frank and Russell’s road trip (just before we see Hoffa leaving prison), and this gives a nice break point while still leaving roughly half the movie to go.
Tell us, though, were you able to get through The Irishman in one sitting? Or did you find yourself needing to take a break? Let us know by dropping a comment down below.
