At 210 minutes in length, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is a monumental effort.
Aided by cutting-edge VFX technology, it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite three of cinema’s greatest living actors – namely Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci – for a gangster drama unlike any other. The script was so good, in fact, that it convinced Pesci to come out of retirement for his first film role in nine years. And, frankly, the end product speaks for itself.
There is, however, some debate over the female roles in The Irishman – or lack thereof – with some critics drawing attention to Anna Paquin’s minor part as Frank’s daughter, Peggy Sheeran. Be that as it may, lead star Robert De Niro has now defended the role, all the while heaping praise on Paquin’s quietly powerful performance.
Via USA Today:
She was very powerful and that’s what it was. Maybe in other scenes there could’ve been some interaction between Frank and her possibly, but that’s how it was done. She’s terrific and it resonates.
Paquin herself has also addressed the complaints, and rubbished claims that she was “ordered” to become part of The Irishman‘s ensemble cast; rather, she auditioned to join Scorsese’s gangster pic, and turned in a small, yet vital performance in the process.
Via Twitter:
Nope, nobody was doing any “ordering”. I auditioned for the privilege of joining the incredible cast of .@TheIrishmanFilm and I’m incredibly proud to get to be a part of this film. https://t.co/yx54jE4ugy
— Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) November 9, 2019
In other news, The Irishman was just named movie of the year by the National Board of Review, with Steven Zaillian’s Irishman script nabbing best adapted screenplay of 2019. That’s quite the one-two punch, and leaves Scorsese’s three-hour crime epic perfectly poised for Oscar contention. It will, of course, face stiff competition though from the likes of Marriage Story, Parasite, Rocketman, Jojo Rabbit, Hustlers, Joker (?) and the Tom Hanks-led drama, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.
