Expectations were that the new Martin Scorsese film, The Irishman, would be well-received. Perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes suggests it could be huge.
If early projections hold, Scorsese’s latest project has the potential to be as good, if not better than any of his earlier works: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, or King of Comedy. It’s hard to call anything “perfect” but that’s one of the consistent adjectives being used to describe the new film and the early ratings on Rotten Tomatoes seem to match.
With close to 50 reviews The Irishman has debuted with a 100% Fresh score. Essentially, this means pretty much only critics have seen the film and those who have think the world of it. A true-crime movie, speculation is that the film could score some of the highest ratings ever for a film rated on the platform, and the more often and longer the scores stay high, the more fans will line up to see it.
These ratings will mean a lot for a film that is almost four hours long. Asking any movie-goer to sit through such a long feature is a big ask. When the film is so widely acclaimed, it’s an easier sell.
What might be of interest to many is the de-aging process applied to a number of the actors, a feature that likely took a sizeable portion of the $156 million in production costs. If the movie can go for such a lofty special effect and get a 100% rating, it must have worked. Not only has it worked, but many are hailing the film a “masterpiece”, calling the movie emotional and touching.
Another attraction, of course, will be the lineup of stars featured in the movie. From De Niro and Pacino, to Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, and Ray Ramano, such an all-star cast will attract viewers.
The Irishman Up For An Oscar?
Logically, after such glowing reviews, it makes sense to assume The Irishmancould be front and center in Oscar conversations. It will likely join a list of films like Joker and Judy, but Scorsese might have the inside track, considering, after all, he is Scorsese. A master of his craft, he’s not won nearly as often as he should and the Academy might try to make up for it. If reviews stay glowing, who can blame them?
Fans who want an opportunity to judge for themselves can watch TheIrishman in theaters on November 1, then see it again if they subscribe to Netflix on November 27th.