Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited film “The Irishman” finally arrives in select theaters and on Netflix this fall. Inspired by the book “I heard you paint houses” by Charles Brandt, the movie dives into the confession of, the hitman and one-time labor union official, Frank Sheeran who claimed to have played a part in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. To paint a house is a polite euphemism for the work done by a hitman, a reference to blood spatter. Jimmy Hoffa was the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters whose involvement with organized crime lead to 4 years in jail. He was later pardoned by President Nixon and mysteriously vanished in July of 1975.
Scorsese endured the near decade long gestation of “The Irishman” as secure financial backing for the film was hard to come by until Netflix bought the global rights in 2017. After 106 days of shooting and with an estimated budget of $175 million the picture will spend 2 weeks in select theaters to qualify for the Academy Awards before exclusively being available on Netflix. Robert De Niro plays Frank Sheeran opposite Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa with Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino in this all-star cast. In select theaters and on Netflix September 27 “The Irishman” is Scorsese’s 25th film.
