‘The Irishman’ is a great film. OK, so at almost three and a half hours running time it’s a tad on the long side. But with stars like Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro working under the direction of Martin Scorsese, those hours are bound to pass quickly, and with, if not exactly enjoyment (it’s not that kind of film), then certainly plenty of interest.
But for all the qualities of the movie, we should not lose sight that its primary purpose is as a piece of public entertainment. In terms of relating the true story of Jimmy Hoffa, some of its story lines can be taken with a liberal pinch of salt.
What really happened to Jimmy Hoffa, the controversial union leader who straddled the lines between the Mafia and the blue collar world? Is he really buried under a football goalpost or was he chopped into pieces and thrown to sea? Who benefitted the most from his mysterious disappearance?