Although he recently turned 77 years old, Martin Scorsese’s career is as hot as it has ever been. Part of the reason for that is his latest film, The Irishman, which stars a dazzling cast of actors. With Robert DeNiro as Irish gangster Frank Sheeran and Al Pacino starring as Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, the stage is set for all kinds of intense drama. One of the last actors to come onboard was Joe Pesci, who had starred in several of Scorsese’s previous films. Reticent to act in yet another gangster picture, Pesci had to be convinced by Scorsese and DeNiro to take on another mobster role. As Russell Buffalino, Pesci’s demeanor is much more reserved than his characters in Goodfellas and Casino. It’s a more nuanced performance, and many are claiming that he may receive another Best Supporting Actor nod because of it.
The entire film, in fact, has been generating a lot of award show buzz, which is very satisfying for Scorsese. All along, he felt that he was taking quite a risk with the movie. With an ageing cast of actors, he had decided to use special CGI to make them look younger. However, this technology did not come cheap. Also, this film is quite a bit longer than his other fare. Clocking over three hours of runtime, it is quite substantial. Eventually, Netflix approached Scorsese — and the rest is history. In movie theaters for four weeks or so, the film will be released on the Netflix platform November 27. This is also something new for Scorsese, who has worked within the traditional film system for so long.
According to awardscircuit.com, during the past few weeks, the auteur has been hitting up various venues to chat about his movie. Attending SAG nominating committee screenings and other events intended to entice voters, he’s obviously interested in getting the word out about his latest flick. He even stopped by Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show to answer questions about the unusual process he used to make movie magic happen this time. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see just how many awards The Irishman happens to rack up. If the past is any indication, Scorsese’s haul will be impressive.
