First reactions to Scorsese's The Irishman hail it as "audacious" and "epic"

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Martin Scorsese's THE IRISHMAN had its premiere at the New York Film Festival today for members of the press, and now their first reactions to the filmmaker's 209-minute odyssey are rolling in.

For THE IRISHMAN, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Scorsese's latest saga of organized crime in post-war America, as told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

Fans of Scorsese's timeless work have been climbing the walls for what feels like forever just to get a taste of his latest crime-related opus, and now we've collected a series of reactions that are bound to wind them up tighter than a stooly's legs on his way to the docks.

Take a look at our gallery of reactions below and get hyped!

Jordan Hoffman, a critic of many colors and outlets wrote:

THE IRISHMAN is not GOODFELLAS/CASINO part 3. Different pace different tone. It is, however, absolutely fucking fantastic and I am floored. All hail the King.

— Jordan Hoffman (@jhoffman) September 27, 2019

Meanwhile, Chris Evagelista of SlashFilm wrote:

THE IRISHMAN is a masterwork. Funny, epic, and most of all, melancholy. It’s Scorsese confronting aging, legacies, and mortality. I may or may not have teared up at the end…

— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) September 27, 2019

Eric Kohn, Executive editor and chief critic for IndieWire wrote:

THE IRISHMAN is like a greatest hits album from a master of the medium. Yes, that’s a positive.

The artifice of de-aging is more feature than bug.

It’s not “slow.” It often moves like lightening & elsewhere it’s downright Bressonian.

This is not a review! Those are embargoed.

— erickohn (@erickohn) September 27, 2019

Additionally,David Ehrlich, Senior Film Critic of Indiewire wrote:

THE IRISHMAN is good! takes 90 minutes to lock in & clear out the cobwebs / adjust to CGI, but the scope is a virtue, the performances are killer (Joseph! Frank! Pesci!) & it eventually coheres into a heart-stopping meditation on the myopia of time. an old man movie for the ages.

— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) September 27, 2019

Brett of the New Flesh podcast commented:

THE IRISHMAN is laugh-out-loud hilarious throughout, occasionally very violent, and then profoundly, deeply sad. Marty did it!!!!

— Brett _________ (@BrettRedacted) September 27, 2019

Charles Bramesco, a freelance film and television critic said:

THE IRISHMAN: Pacino unhinges his jaw and swallows this thing whole like a python choking down a gazelle carcass, berserker mode king shit

— Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse) September 27, 2019

RObert Levin, Editor in Chief at Am Mew York kept things simple by saying:

It’s a masterpiece. Period. #TheIrishman @TheNYFF

— Robert Levin (@Rlevin85) September 27, 2019

Karen Han over at Polygon wrote:

THE IRISHMAN: al pacino … oscar ?????

— karen han (@karenyhan) September 27, 2019

Mara Reinstein, a film critic for Us Weekly was quick to post plenty of her thoughts:

I wish I could take a photo in he dark of all these people on their phones doing twitter hot takes on #TheIrishman. Here’s mine: it’s middle of the Scorsese pack. Def more of a sober character study than classic tense mob thriller

— Mara Reinstein (@MaraReinstein) September 27, 2019

I suspect the word “masterpiece” is going to be thrown around a lot. I wouldn’t go that far. But the acting is (of course) top top top. Pacino especially. #TheIrishmanfilm.

— Mara Reinstein (@MaraReinstein) September 27, 2019

More than 100 locations used in #TheIrishman, per Scorsese. But surely none in Michigan, site of last Hoffa sighting. There are no highway bridges in Bloomfield Hills.

— Mara Reinstein (@MaraReinstein) September 27, 2019

Moving on down the line we find Senior film reporter for Decider, Anna Menta, saying:

More than 100 locations used in #TheIrishman, per Scorsese. But surely none in Michigan, site of last Hoffa sighting. There are no highway bridges in Bloomfield Hills.

— Mara Reinstein (@MaraReinstein) September 27, 2019

Jason Gorber, a man of many critic-related credits, said:

THE IRISHMAN – Audacious, epic, a film that feels like it spans lifetimes yet whisks by. Technically bold, performances raw and darkly humourous, it is the culmination of Scorsese's genre fascinations, and a late career triumph. Truly cinematic, demanding to be seen big #nyff57

— Jason Gorber @ #NYFF (@filmfest_ca) September 27, 2019

Film critic Josh Encinias wrote:

Al Pacino owns #TheIrishman but Robert De Niro owns the last thirty minutes. #NYFF

— Josh Encinias @ NYFF (@joshencinias) September 27, 2019

Kevin L. Lee, a film critic for Rotten Tomatoes said:

Boy. #TheIrishman is a fitting homecoming for De Niro, Pacino, Pesci, and Scorsese’s ode to gangster cinema. Hilarious and sharply written. A portrait of mortality and legacy, told like a culmination of everything we have ever seen in this genre. It’s LONG but never boring. #NYFF pic.twitter.com/OBTAXem4On

— Kevin L. Lee @ NYFF (@Klee_FilmReview) September 27, 2019

J Don Birnam of The Splash Report says:

Boy. #TheIrishman is a fitting homecoming for De Niro, Pacino, Pesci, and Scorsese’s ode to gangster cinema. Hilarious and sharply written. A portrait of mortality and legacy, told like a culmination of everything we have ever seen in this genre. It’s LONG but never boring. #NYFF pic.twitter.com/OBTAXem4On

— Kevin L. Lee @ NYFF (@Klee_FilmReview) September 27, 2019

Lastly, Brent Goldman of Reel Big Films wrote:

#TheIrishman is utterly exceptional – vintage Scorsese. It takes so much from his best films and then becomes its own. Three brilliant performances and the deaging was no problem at all. #NYFF @FilmInquiry @netflix pic.twitter.com/wTCwhuopY9

— Brent Goldman @ NYFF (@bgoldman22) September 27, 2019

As like any other film nowadays, THE IRISHMAN appears to be a mixed bag for some, though the majority of those who'd experienced appear to be more than pleased with Scorsese's latest work. Thankfully, everyone will soon have their chance to judge the film for themselves, when THE IRISHMAN arrives for a limited theatrical release on November 1, 2019, followed by its digital streaming debut on November 27, 2019.