The Irishman (2019)

The de-aging works on Robert De Niro’s face and nowhere else. Frank is supposed to be in his prime when he roughs up a grocer, and he moves like a grandpa climbing out of a recliner. It runs 209 minutes, and the first hour has a lot of guys sitting at tables. What you get back is Martin Scorsese’s quietest, saddest gangster movie. Joe Pesci, playing it soft and calm for once, is terrifying because he never raises his voice. Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa is loud, proud and obsessed with people being on time, and his scenes with De Niro feel like two legends finally sharing a court. The final stretch is the real point: an old man alone, with nobody left to tell. It made $968,853 worldwide in theaters, so most people met it on a couch, and the movie.guru score is a 9.5. A 9.0 because it’s a masterpiece about regret with an effect that keeps poking you in the eye. $2,757 says you pause it twice for snacks and still need two nights to finish.

What works: Joe Pesci’s quiet menace, Al Pacino’s blustery Hoffa, and a final stretch about aging and regret that hits hard.

What doesn’t: The de-aging effects look off whenever the younger Frank moves, and the 209-minute runtime has real slack early on.

Who it’s for: Patient viewers who want Scorsese’s gangster world with the glamour stripped off and the bill finally due.