---
title: "The Irishman"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-irishman"
fi1m_id: "the-irishman"
imdb_id: "tt1302006"
tmdb_id: 398978
wikidata_id: "Q29057443"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 88
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.966766+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Irishman (2019)

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 3h 29m · MPA R · Crime, Drama, History

## Identity

The Irishman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-irishman
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-irishman
- **IMDb ID:** tt1302006
- **TMDB ID:** 398978
- **Wikidata ID:** Q29057443
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302006/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/398978, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29057443

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 88 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Joe Pesci keeps his voice down, which is no reason for anyone else to relax

> Martin Scorsese makes a patient, troubling crime drama about men accustomed to treating violence as work. The length occasionally tests us and the digital faces distract, but the performances justify a long evening.

## Synopsis

Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) moves between Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), a quietly spoken mob fixer, and Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), whose forceful manner leaves less room for compromise. Frank treats violence as work and friendship as a matter of loyalty. He wants to be useful to the men around him, but the demands of criminal business press against those personal ties. His relationships involve favours, obligations and the domestic life that continues around them, as the men decide what they can ask of one another and what they are prepared to do.

## Review

*The Irishman* is a patient, troubling crime film, and we recommend it with a warning about the time it asks for. Across 209 minutes, Martin Scorsese watches men conduct violent business with the habits and assumptions of working life. The interest lies in how easily they make their arrangements, and how poorly equipped they seem to discuss guilt. We do not need to find these men sympathetic to become absorbed in the effort they put into avoiding that subject.

Robert De Niro plays Frank Sheeran with a reserve that can initially look like a shortage of things to express. Look longer and the performance becomes troubling: Frank’s apparent dependability gives us little confidence that he has considered what being dependable requires. Al Pacino gives Jimmy Hoffa the expansive energy the film needs, pushing against all that guarded conversation. He is entertaining company, but the force of the performance also makes compromise seem difficult.

Joe Pesci is the reason to keep watching even when the surrounding business becomes dense. His Russell Bufalino speaks quietly, and the lack of visible effort makes the authority more convincing. We were unsettled by that quietness, because he makes it difficult to imagine a safe way of disagreeing with him. Steven Zaillian’s screenplay gives friendship and loyalty enough attention to make us wary of both words; the actors make us hear the obligations attached to them.

Rodrigo Prieto gives the tracking shots an unhurried movement that suits men accustomed to being listened to. We have time to watch a performance rather than simply register an entrance. Bob Shaw’s production design supplies convincing period surroundings, and sensibly allows the faces to remain the attraction. Robbie Robertson’s music supports the sombre mood without encouraging us to find these people grand or admirable.

Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing deserves much of the credit for keeping the conversations alive across such a length. The film can slow down without losing our attention, particularly when it gives the central actors time to respond to one another. Some digressions are harder to defend, and the procedural material occasionally makes us impatient to return to the relationships. At those points, the running time begins to feel like an indulgence.

The digital de-ageing is the more persistent distraction. Its unevenness encourages us to inspect faces when we should be attending to what they express, an awkward cost in a film so dependent on withheld reactions. The performances survive it, although the effort to make age disappear can seem unnecessary when age is so much of the film’s subject. We would rather spend those moments concentrating on the actors, whose smallest changes of expression reward attention.

The gangster film often rewards patience with another burst of excitement, and this one’s quieter pace asks for a different kind of attention. Martin Scorsese is interested in the limitations of men who know how to conduct business and struggle to examine themselves. The humour and the pleasure of the acting make that difficult company worth keeping. Give it an uninterrupted evening, provided the prospect of long conversations between dangerous men sounds more promising than another shoot-out.

*Fi1m score 86, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus is strongly positive, with praise centred on Scorsese’s treatment of ageing, loyalty and regret. Most critics see The Irishman as a reflective return to his crime films, finding its quieter passages about the consequences of violence especially moving. De Niro, Pacino and Pesci draw consistent praise, with Pesci’s restrained performance singled out repeatedly; the reviews also admire the shift away from flashy technique towards a colder, more patient style.

The differences concern how well that patience serves the film, rather than its broader achievement. Radio Times finds the pacing sharp but the soul-searching limited, while The Hollywood Reporter admires the craft yet finds the length self-indulgent and misses the forward drive of earlier Scorsese crime films. The digital de-ageing also divides opinion: Time Out finds it uneven, whereas The Wrap praises its near-flawless execution. These reservations sit within a firmly favourable spread, with enthusiasm varying more than the underlying assessment.

## Straight answers

**Is The Irishman worth watching?**

*The Irishman* is worth watching for anyone prepared to give 209 minutes to long conversations between dangerous men, and we scored it 86. Joe Pesci's quiet Russell Bufalino is the reason to keep going when the procedural material slows things down. The digital de-ageing distracts, but the performances survive it.

**How long is The Irishman, and what is it rated?**

*The Irishman* runs 3h 29m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and drama film.

**Where can I watch The Irishman in the US?**

*The Irishman* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Irishman, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Irishman* is a 15 in the UK and rated R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The violence is treated as routine work rather than spectacle, which is unsettling in its own way, and the film is long, talkative and sombre. Older teenagers with patience for slow crime drama should be fine; the squeamish will find less here than in a shoot-out picture.

**How does The Irishman compare to A Prophet?**

*The Irishman* is the slower and more reflective of the two, while [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet) is the tighter and more gripping. Both watch men advance through crime by favours that carry a cost, but Scorsese lingers on what his men cannot say about guilt, and Audiard concentrates on how one prisoner learns to use power. Choose the Scorsese for a long evening of performances; choose the Audiard for tension.

**What should I watch after The Irishman?**

After *The Irishman*, try [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet) (2009, Fi1m 86): Another patient account of criminal advancement, attentive to favours and their eventual cost. Then [*Le samouraï*](https://film.one/film/le-samourai) (1967, Fi1m 88): Quiet criminal routines and controlled performances, with even less room for ordinary affection; and [*Once Upon a Time in America*](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america) (1984, Fi1m 81): A dreamlike reckoning with criminal friendship and the damage that passing time exposes.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (A): Kohn calls it Scorsese’s best crime movie since Goodfellas and a pure illustration of his distinctive voice. It is praised as an ambitious epic that captures the filmmaker’s strengths over nearly 50 years. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-irishman-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-1202177149/)
- **Total Film** (90/100, inferred): The Irishman is unmistakably a Scorsese picture but colder and more distant than predecessors, with themes of ageing, guilt and death. It is his summation and twilight masterpiece. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-irishman-review/)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (85/100, inferred): Scorsese delivers a mature, compelling meditation on time, ageing, connections and guilt that goes beyond a standard gangster film. It ends as a powerful, painful study of regret in a man who has lost his ability to feel. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-irishman/)
- **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (4/5): Scorsese returns to the gangster genre in fine form with sharp pacing across an epic runtime, strong ensemble performances and playful nods to his past work. The film is seen as entertaining but not quite reaching classic status, with limited genuine soul-searching. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-k0awq9/the-irishman/)
- **The i Paper**, Geoffrey Macnab (4/5): Scorsese and his stars have made a rich, complex and moving gangster epic that belongs alongside The Godfather and Goodfellas. It is as much about friendship, loyalty and the passing of time as it is a crime thriller. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/the-irishman-review-uk-release-netflix-scorsese-de-niro-350364)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (4/5): The review commends the film's strongest quieter passages on self-reproach and the dying of the light, along with terrific work from De Niro, Pesci and an unleashed Pacino. It criticises the overstuffed tangents and uneven digital de-ageing effects. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-irishman)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The film is a revelation and an intoxicating triumph that uses Scorsese's mastery to surprising ends. It has more in common with 'The Age of Innocence' than his other gangster films, with standout performances across the board. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-29/irishman-scorsese-de-niro-pacino-netflix-review)
- **Sight and Sound**, Graham Fuller: The critic views the film as a nostalgic farewell to Scorsese's organised-crime pictures, highlighting the shift into a mournful reflection on friendship, betrayal and unassuaged guilt. Pesci's quiet performance and the opaque acting in the central murder sequence are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/irishman-review-de-niro-scorsese-say-goodbye-goodfellas)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Scorsese returns with his best picture since GoodFellas, a superbly acted epic mob procedural about violence, betrayal and emotional bankruptcy. The critic singles out the wintry brilliance of the lead performances, especially Joe Pesci as the quietly spoken mob fixer Russell Bufalino. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/13/the-irishman-review-martin-scorseses-finest-film-for-30-years)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The film is a melancholy, rueful gangster saga anchored by strong performances from De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci. Rooney praises its beautifully crafted deluxe cinema, sinuous tracking shots, and period detail, while noting the self-indulgent length and lack of propulsive energy compared to earlier Scorsese mob films. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/irishman-review-nyff-2019-1243731/)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman: Scorsese delivers a stately, ominous mob epic that reckons with the dark heart of power and the toll of criminal life. The film stands out for its hushed precision and echoes of the director's earlier works while charting new territory. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-irishman-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-al-pacino-joe-pesci-1203351142/)
- **Vulture**: The review describes it as one of Scorsese’s most satisfying films in decades, an old man’s movie marked by self-abnegation and a radical slowing-down that pays off in the final section. It highlights the strong ensemble, especially Pesci, and the shift away from flashy style. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/the-irishman-movie-review-martin-scorsese-on-netflix.html)
- **Den of Geek**, Lou Thomas (5/5): The critic praises The Irishman as a monumental late masterpiece from Scorsese, highlighting the reunion of De Niro, Pesci, and the director as their best work since Goodfellas, with deep exploration of friendship, regret, and death. They single out the superb performances (especially De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci) and Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing, which keeps the epic 209-minute runtime feeling much shorter. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-irishman-review-a-monumental-film-from-a-master-of-cinema/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (10/10): The critic calls it a funny, melancholy masterwork in which Scorsese reflects on mortality and his own career. The older-man perspective and reflective tone are singled out as what makes it one of the director's very best films. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/569397/the-irishman-review/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A-): Scorsese examines the scars left by World War II on a generation of men who subsumed a legacy of violence and called it work, showing brotherhood as cheap for stoic types focused on cold business. The film succeeds as a thoughtful look at the second half of 20th century America, led by outstanding performances from De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino. [Read](https://collider.com/the-irishman-review-netflix/)
- **Polygon**, Karen Han (90/100, inferred): The film is less a gangland tale than a legacy filmmaker reflecting on growing old, with no glamorous sheen to its depiction of crime and striking domestic scenes. De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci deliver some of their best work in a poignant rumination on mortality that gets further under the skin after viewing. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/9/27/20887645/the-irishman-review-netflix-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-al-pacino-joe-pesci/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): Pete Hammond calls it a moving coda to Scorsese's crime films, praising the masterful direction, performances especially Pacino as Hoffa, groundbreaking de-aging effects, and its meditation on aging, regrets, and consequences. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/the-irishman-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-al-pacino-joe-pesci/)
- **The Playlist** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds it a major success that incorporates the best aspects of Scorsese's past crime dramas while adding deeper context and morality. The performances, especially Pacino's as Hoffa, and the exhilarating energy despite the reflective tone are singled out for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/irishman-martin-scorsese-review-nyff-20190927/)
- **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Scorsese's bold, rule-breaking storytelling and near-flawless de-aging technology, singling out the film's unflinching examination of aging, decline, and the melancholy aftermath of a life of crime as its most essential element alongside strong performances from the leads. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-irishman-film-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-al-pacino-joe-pesci/)

## Details

- **Director:** Martin Scorsese
- **Director:** Martin Scorsese
- **Screenplay:** Steven Zaillian
- **Cinematography:** Rodrigo Prieto
- **Editor:** Thelma Schoonmaker
- **Music:** Robbie Robertson
- **Production design:** Bob Shaw
- **Costume design:** Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
- **Producer:** Troy Allen, Robert De Niro, Randall Emmett
- **Cast:** Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran; Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa; Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino; Harvey Keitel as Angelo Bruno; Ray Romano as Bill Bufalino; Bobby Cannavale as Skinny Razor; Anna Paquin as Older Peggy Sheeran; Stephen Graham as Anthony 'Tony Pro' Provenzano
- **Runtime:** 3h 29m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 1 November 2019
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama, History
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2019); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2019); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2019)
- **Budget:** $159 million
- **Box office:** $968,853
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS3aHkkfuEI

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2020: Best Picture (nominated)
- APRECI Award for Best International Premiere 2019: APRECI Award for Best International Premiere (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973): Criminal work looks weary, insecure and badly paid, with loyalty offering little protection.
- *A Prophet* (2009), Fi1m 86: Another patient account of criminal advancement, attentive to favours and their eventual cost. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md)
- *Still Walking* (2008): Family resentments and ordinary conversation make ageing painful without a gangster in sight.
- *Le samouraï* (1967), Fi1m 88: Quiet criminal routines and controlled performances, with even less room for ordinary affection. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md)
- *Once Upon a Time in America* (1984), Fi1m 81: A dreamlike reckoning with criminal friendship and the damage that passing time exposes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-irishman