Guillermo del Toro Gushes Over Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ In Lengthy Twitter Thread

3 minute read

By Riley Jones (@moviemanjones)

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman doesn’t officially arrive on Netflix until November 27, but the upcoming epic crime film is already being called one of the iconic director’s best and Guillermo del Toro couldn’t agree more. The Shape of Water director recently took to Twitter to share his lengthy thoughts on the film in a must-read, 13-tweet thread. Del Toro praised Scorsese’s film in detail and implored those interested in seeing The Irishman do so at the theatre because as he put it, “This movie languished in development in studio vaults for so long… having it here, now, is a miracle. And, btw- fastest 3 hours in a cinema. Do not miss it.”

Here is del Toro’s “13 Tweets about Scorsese’s The Irishman,” a lengthy series of posts we’ve compiled just for you:

First- the film connects with the epitaph-like nature of Barry Lyndon. It is about lives that came and went, with all their turmoil, all their drama and violence and noise and loss… and how they invariably fade, like we all do… “It was in the reign of George III that the aforesaid personages lived and quarrelled; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.” We will all be betrayed and revealed by time, humbled by our bodies, stripped off our pride.

Source: Screenshot via Netflix

The film is a mausoleum of myths: a Funereal monument that stands to crush the bones beneath it. Granite is meant to last but we still turn to dust inside it. It’s the anti”My Way” (played in every gangster wedding in the world). Regrets they had more than few. The road cannot be undone and we all face the balance at the end. Even the voice over recourse has DeNiro trailing off into mumbled nonsense.

I remember, in a documentary about Rick Rubin- he explained how Johnny Cash singing “Hurt” (having lived and lost and gone to hell and back) gave it a dimension it could not have in the voice of a -then- young Trent Reznor (even if he composed it). This film is like that. Scorsese started hand-in-hand with Schrader, as young men, looking for Bresson. This movie transmogrified all the gangster myths into regret. You live this movie. It never goes for the sexy of violence. Never for the spectacle. And yet it is spectacularly cinematic.

Source: Screenshot via Netflix

Film has the inexorabie feeling of a crucifixion- from the point of view of Judas. Every Station of the cross permeated by humor and a sense of banality- futility- characters are introduced with their pop-up epitaphs superimposed on screen: “This is how they die.” I never thought I would see a film in which I’d root hard for Jimmy Hoffa- but I did- perhaps because, in the end, he, much like the Kennedys, represented also the end of a majestic post-war stature in America.

Pesci supremely minimalistic. Masterful. He is like a black hole- an attractor of planets- dark matter. DeNiro has always fascinated me when he plays characters that are punching above their true weight – or intelligence- That’s why I love him in so much Jackie Brown. An interesting transfer between these characters: Pesci- who has played the Machiavellian monster, regains a senile innocence, a benign oblivion and De Niro’s character – who has operated in a moral blank- gains enough awareness – to feel bitter loneliness.

Source: Screenshot via Netflix

I believe that much is gained if we cross-reference our transgressions with how we will feel in the last three minutes of our life- when it all becomes clear: or betrayals, our saving graces and our ultimate insignificance. This film gave me that feeling. This film needs time- however- it has to be processed like a real mourning. It will come up in stages… I believe most of its power will sink in, in time, and provoke a true realization. A masterpiece. The perfect corollary [to] Goodfellas and Casino.

What are your thoughts on del Toro’s comments regarding the movie? Are you planning to see The Irishman in theatres or will you wait until the film arrives on Netflix in late November? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Guillermo del Toro

Riley Jones (@moviemanjones)

Contributor

Riley is the Managing Editor of Goliath. When he's not at the movie theatre or binging some new tv series, he likes to spend his time shooting hoops and play MTG. He doesn't like 'Breaking Bad,' loves 'The Simpsons,' hates mayonnaise, and has been repping the Toronto Raptors since '95. Follow him on IG and Twitter @moviemanjones.