Is The Irishman the end of the gangster movie as we know it?

 

"Vulnerability is a trait rarely seen in the gangster movie, unless it’s in the kinds of weaklings who are usually killed off. The Godfather’s Corleones barely twitch when they order a killing; Henry Hill treats disposing of a corpse like he’s going to drop off some dry cleaning.

But in The Irishman, there are cracks in the facade. In one crucial scene, Russell (Pesci) and Frank (De Niro) sit in a car at the runway of an airport, waiting for Frank to leave to commit a terrible deed. As Russell watches Frank leave, his lip curls. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss it expression of anguish and regret, gone as quickly as it surfaces, and the camera does not move to highlight it. Amidst all this tough-guy bravado, it seems to me to be one of the more revealing moments in the film. Along the same lines, there’s a phone call that De Niro makes late in the film, where finally his blankness melts into something far more human. His breathless and barely coherent line delivery is almost lacerating in its sadness."

analysis by Christina Newland
BBC - Culture - Is The Irishman the end of the gangster movie as we know it?