Some of you are making me feel like I should give the film another chance. But I agree with the OP after my first viewing tonight (saw it all at once).
I feel like I grasped the film's themes, of regret, of aging, of death, of a mafia decidedly unglamorous. But I also felt that Scorsese indulged himself on a thin story with a main character who - despite all the time spent - still feels inadequately sketched. The de-aging special effect didn't entirely work, as the actors didn't seem as lively as I remember them in their younger years. Much time is devoted to the daughter who sees him for what he is, but the actresses who play her have about three lines. I just didn't care. (The other daughter who talks with him looks like his granddaughter.) The most compelling storyline, however invented, is the relationship between Pacino's Hoffa and De Niro, and later in the film, between De Niro and Pesci (who does a good job in the climactic scenes underplaying his character, Russell). Pacino does some scenery chewing, but it's welcome in a movie that often feels lifeless and aimless. For me, the film meanders too much at the start and only takes off when Pacino's Hoffa arrives on screen. And when he's gone, it peters out. This wasn't enough story for 3 1/2 hours.
I didn't hate the film, and there's too much talent on and behind the screen not to be worth the time to see it. But let's be honest. If this was a film by a bunch of unknowns instead of legends, would so many people fuss about it? It's a mob movie that ends in death and, in a bit of a twist, old age. In a strong year for movies, this was one that disappointed me.
Updated On: 1/11/20 at 05:09 AM
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
