“The Irishman” seems to be one of the favorites this awards season, with critics and fans both in agreement that Martin Scorsese has turned in something special with his latest project. But that doesn’t mean the film is perfect or comes anywhere near the acclaim of iconic films such as “Goodfellas” or “Casino.” But when you have Terry Gilliam saying good things about a film, then you know it must be pretty decent.
Speaking to IndieWire, Gilliam discussed his thoughts on “The Irishman.” And as we’ve pointed out recently, with his critique of “Black Panther,” the director isn’t one to hold back if he has strong feelings about a film.
Gilliam says that he saw “The Irishman” at the London Film Festival some weeks ago, at the Odeon Leicester Square cinema with “comfortable seats that are lounge chairs basically.” How comfy were the seats? Well, the filmmaker says his wife ended up falling asleep.
But the seats are neither here nor there. What did he think of “The Irishman?” Well, as you might expect from someone as honest as Gilliam, Martin Scorsese’s latest film is a bit of a mixed bag.
“I can see why people like it,” said Gilliam. “It’s just we’re back in Martin country. We’re into what he does really well. The age-ification thing works to a surprisingly good degree, but it seemed what they needed in there was a movement director to make them walk like young versions of themselves. The face is younger, the body’s still moving so [old]. You spend all that money, but if you don’t get this bit right, they should have been a little more spry.”
READ MORE: Terry Gilliam On The Impact Of Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’: “It’s Utter Bullsh**”
And though his wife fell asleep (perhaps a by-product of the comfy seating), Gilliam admits that he did enjoy “The Irishman” quite a bit. However, there is one glaring issue that he didn’t enjoy. Well, really, it’s the entire ending of the film.
“I liked all of it except the last 30 minutes, frankly. With the priest and his daughter? Give me a fucking break,” the filmmaker explained. “We don’t need this. After we killed Hoffa, I thought, great, we’re done… Marty’s spiritual side is less interesting to me than his human side.”
For a man that isn’t much for biting his tongue and saying what he thinks people want to hear, even though Gilliam had issues with the end of the film, it appears that “The Irishman” gets a modest thumbs up from the filmmaker.
“The Irishman” is available to stream on Netflix now.