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The Irishman

by
ABR Arts 06 November 2019

The Irishman

by
ABR Arts 06 November 2019

Martin Scorsese, as the world well knows, makes movies about Italian restaurants. Sure, he makes bloody crime films, too, but at some level he seems to be asking: what’s the difference? In Goodfellas (1990), a man crashes into a pizzeria, one hand shot to pieces, bleeding all over the place. He’s kicked out, and the film cuts to a platter of deli meats surfing through a crowded eatery. The gambling mastermind at the centre of Casino (1995) masquerades as a ‘Food and Beverage Manager’. Meanwhile, the film’s trigger-wild tough, played by Joe Pesci, opens up a classy night spot.

Restaurants are so common in Scorsese’s world they would be easy to overlook. Print the scripts. Have a look. Odds are the scene heading will read: ‘INTERIOR – RESTAURANT – DAY’. Two characters might be making a salad, talking about where to get the best red-wine vinegar, but what they’re really saying is: ‘so-and-so is about to kill so-and-so’. In Scorsese’s careful studies of mob society, there seems to be an intimate and inexpressible link between eating and murder, between a restaurant brimming with bodies and a man dying alone in the backroom.

Comment (1)

  • A compelling in-depth review which has prompted me to watch 'The Irishman ' on Netflix. I loved it - thank you.
    Posted by Kaye Morrison
    05 December 2019

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