Irishman

I saw Scorcese’s Irishman on Netflix and I liked it.  I didn’t watch the entire 3 1/2 hours of it in one night.  I watched it over the course of four days, but, even so, I fell asleep in it several times because it is deliberately paced.  In fact, I missed so much of it that I watched it over again and found out that I had missed some of the best parts.

Even though it’s very long, it’s a fascinating study of mobsters and their interaction with unions and politicians, namely the Teamsters union and President John F. Kennedy.  According to the movie, the Chicago Mafia thought by helping Kennedy get elected president he would return the favor by enabling them to reopen their casinos in Cuba.  But it wasn’t to be.  Instead, his brother Bobby, appointed as attorney general, turned up the heat on the Mafia–and Hoffa, as well.  How this all plays out is fascinating to watch.