The Irishman Review: 10 Ups & 1 Down
7. It Earns Its Epic Runtime
Even the most ardent Scorsese fans raised their eyebrows when Netflix announced The Irishman's 209-minute runtime, though if there's any director who has proven himself worthy of an epic canvas, it's surely this one.
And duly, The Irishman earns all of those minutes, because there's not a single moment where the film drags or Scorsese's approach to the material feels self-indulgent or even undisciplined.
The film's sprawl across more than half a century notwithstanding, the 3.5 hours really allows scenes to breathe, and bar a few slight nips and tucks here and there, it's tough to imagine what Scorsese could've even dreamed of losing.
The end results crystallises how fortunate it was that The Irishman landed at Netflix, given their famously hands-off approach with their filmmakers, and in this case, clearly 209 minutes was exactly how long Scorsese needed to realise his vision.
At least with the movie streaming so soon, though, you'll be able to give yourself a bathroom break half-way through.