KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON : Tuesday 31st October 2023.

In my first trip to a movie theatre in a month, I saw the MA15+ Rated 'KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON' this week. This American epic Western crime drama film is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Martin Scorsese, who needs no introduction I'm sure, and is based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann. The film, which cost a reported US$200M, had its World Premiere screening in late May this year at the Cannes Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim, and went on worldwide release on the 19th October. It marks the sixth feature film collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio and the tenth between Scorsese and De Niro. The film has so far grossed US$88M.

The film opens with elders of the Osage tribe of native American Indians sullenly burying a ceremonial pipe, and grieving over their descendants' assimilation into White American society. Wandering through their Oklahoma reservation, which features the annual 'flower moon' phenomenon of larger plants killing off smaller ones in Springtime, several Osage tribesmen are seen dancing as oil bursts from the ground and rains down the black gold on them. The tribe needless to say becomes very wealthy, as it retains mineral rights, and members share in oil-lease revenues, making them the wealthiest people on earth per capita. However, the law requires court-appointed guardians to manage the financial return to full and half-blood members, assuming them to be 'incompetent'.

In 1919, the money hungry and largely unintelligent Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from World War I, where he worked as a field cook, to live with his very wealthy uncle William King Hale (Robert De Niro) on his large reservation ranch in Fairfax. Oklahoma. Hale, is a reserve deputy sheriff popularly known as 'King', who masquerades as a friendly benefactor of the Osage, speaking their language and bestowing gifts upon them, but he has ulterior motives and secretly schemes to kill them off and steal their wealth. He tells Ernest, who now works as a cab driver, to court Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an Osage whose family owns oil headrights. 

A romance develops, and the two are married in a grand wedding. Hale meanwhile plots the deaths of several wealthy Osage. He tells Ernest he will inherit more headrights if more of Mollie's family dies, with her mother Lizzie Q (Tantoo Cardinal) already quite ill and knocking on death's door. After Mollie's sister Minnie (Jillian Dion) dies of a mysterious illness, Hale orders Ernest’s brother Byron (Scott Shepherd) to kill Mollie’s other sister, the rebellious Anna (Cara Jade Myers). Lizzie and the Osage tribal council blame the reservation's white folks for the deaths and urge the tribe to stand their ground and fight back. A newsreel of the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma causes further concern among the Osage that a similar attack could occur on their land. Lizzie dies shortly afterward in her bed.

Despite everything Ernest genuinely loves Mollie and they have children. Hale, however, persuades Ernest to poison Mollie’s insulin which she is prescribed for her diabetes, and is led to believe that she is only one of five people in the entire world to benefit from this treatment, which Hale is paying for. Ernest is in denial about the damage it’s causing, as Hale insists it merely 'slows her down'. Mollie’s condition continues to deteriorate. Hale orders the death of Henry Roan (William Belleau), Mollie's first husband whom she married when she was just fifteen years old, to collect the sum of US$25K which Hale had insured his life for, and has Ernest organise the murder. However, Ernest messes up the killing, so Hale, being a member of the Mason's, brutally beats his backside with a wooden paddle. Hale then orders Ernest to arrange the murders of Rita (JaNae Collins), Mollie's last remaining sister, and her husband Bill Smith (Jason Isbell), by blowing up her house with the explosives laid by Acie Kirby (Pete Yorn) a local expert in such matters. Mollie inherits all her family's headrights.

Mollie hires William J. Burns (Gary Basaraba), a private detective, but he gets severely beaten up and is chased out of Fairfax by Ernest and Byron. Despite her illness, Mollie travels to Washington with an Osage delegation and begs President Calvin Coolidge for help. The Bureau of Investigation (BOI) sends Agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) and several other agents, and they quickly uncover the truth concerning the series of murders and who is behind them. Hale attempts to cover his tracks by murdering several of his own hired killers, but White arrests him and Ernest. The agents find Mollie severely ill and have her admitted to hospital where she receives proper medical care and in time recovers. 

Agent White convinces Ernest to confess and turn state's evidence against Hale. W. S. Hamilton (Brendan Fraser), Hale's attorney, tries to convince Ernest to claim he was beaten and tortured while in custody, and to recant. After one of his daughters dies of whooping cough, Ernest decides to follow through with testifying against his uncle, with Prosecutor Peter Leaward (John Lithgow) leading the charge here. Hale unsuccessfully tries to have Ernest murdered. Mollie meets with Ernest a last time, but leaves him when he will not admit to poisoning her. 

A filmed report for a radio show sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes, provides a closing update. Ernest and Hale were both convicted and received life sentences. They were, however, paroled after many years of serving jail time, despite protests to the parole board by the Osage. Byron served no prison time, due to a hung jury. Doctors James and David Shoun (Steve Witting and Steve Routman respectively), who had given Ernest poison to administer to Mollie along with insulin, and were implicated in other 'wasting deaths', were not prosecuted due to 'lack of evidence'. Mollie divorced Ernest after the trial. She remarried and died of diabetes at the age of fifty in 1937. She was buried with her family - parents, sisters and daughter. Her obituary did not refer to the Osage murders that came to be known as the 'Reign of Terror'.

'Killers of The Flower Moon' is a talkfest of a film interspersed with moments of unforgivable violence meted out on the Osage peoples. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that, as we have seen recently with Christopher Nolan's epic biopic 'Oppenheimer' which was made for half of what Scorsese spent to bring this epic to the big screen and grossed almost ten times that amount and still counting, where as for all the justifiable praise heaped on this film it is hardly likely to make back its production budget! That said, Scorsese has here crafted a meticulous work of cinematic art - from the top notch production design, to the formidable acting talent on display, to the sweeping vistas and the rotten corrupt truth of how the white man tried to eradicate the first nations people of America all in the name of greed, jealousy and ultimately murder. A must see film on the big screen, if nothing else than to be taught a valuable history lesson, for me this film is good, very good in fact, but its not great, and at a runtime of just a nudge under three and a half hours it does labour in places.

'Killers of The Flower Moon' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

AMSTERDAM : Tuesday 11th October 2022

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'AMSTERDAM' earlier this week, and this mystery comedy film set in the early 1930's is Written, Directed and Co-Produced by David O. Russell whose previous feature film making credits include 'Three Kings' in 1999, 'I Heart Huckabees' in 2004, 'The Fighter' in 2010, 'Silver Linings Playbook' in 2012, 'American Hustle' in 2013 and 'Joy' in 2015. This film saw its World Premier showcasing in New York City on 18th September and was released in the US and here in Australia last week week, having cost US$80M to produce, has so far recouped just US$12M and has garnered mixed critical reviews. 

In 1918, Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is sent at the insistence of his very well connected and very well to do estranged wife's parents to fight in World War I. While stationed in France, Burt meets and becomes good friends with African-American soldier Harold Woodsman (John David Washington), both under the command of affable General Bill Meekins (Ed Bagley Jnr.) After they sustain severe and multiple shrapnel injuries in battle, including Burt's loss of an eye, the pair are nursed back to health by Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), an outgoing nurse, whom they form a close bond with also.

When Burt and Harold have sufficiently recovered from their wounds, the three move to Amsterdam, where they live together and become close friends spending their time living life to the full, until Burt announces his return to New York City to be with his wife Beatrice (Andrea Riseborough). Harold, who has fallen in love with Valerie and she with him, also leaves to return to New York City and fulfill his own aspirations, but before he leaves Valerie leaves him unexpectedly leaving just a hand written note bidding him farewell. 

Fast forward to New York City in 1933 and Burt has opened his own medical practice catering to injured veterans of the war and still remains firm friends with Harold, who is now a lawyer, while they have not heard from Valerie since they left Amsterdam some fifteen years previously. Harold asks Burt to perform a post-mortem on Bill Meekins, now a senator who served as the commander of their regiment during the war, at the urgent request of Meekins' daughter Elizabeth (Taylor Swift), who believes that he was murdered. Burt performs the post-mortem aided by nurse Irma St. Clair (Zoe Saldana). The post-mortem reveals that Meekins stomach contained an unusual amount of a grey liquid indicating a mercury laced poison leading them to conclude that this must have been the cause of death. Burt and Harold meet with Elizabeth to talk about the post-mortem results, but she is suddenly killed when a hitman pushes her under the wheels of an oncoming car. The hitman frames Burt and Harold for her death during the ensuing melee, while they flee the scene on foot as the Police arrive.

In an attempt to clear their names Burt and Harold try to determine who had led Elizabeth to hire them. This leads them to wealthy textile heir Tom Voze (Rami Malek) and his antagonising wife Libby (Anya Taylor-Joy). At the Voze residence they reunite with Valerie, and learn that she is Tom's sister and was the one who convinced Elizabeth to hire them, knowing that ultimately they could be trusted. Valerie is now under constant supervision by Tom and Libby, who claim that she suffers from vertigo, a nerve disease and various other ailments though the medications Tom and Libby urge her to take every day could just be the real issue. Tom suggests to Burt and Harold that they should talk to Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro), a famous and decorated veteran who now advocates for WWI veteran's rights and was close friends with Meekins.

Burt's initial attempts to contact Dillenbeck fail, and meanwhile Harold and Valerie spend the day at her home, where they notice the hitman, Tarim Milfax (Timothy Olyphant) maintaining a watchful on their movements. They follow him to a forced sterilisation clinic owned by a mysterious organisation known as the 'Council of Five'. After a fight with Milfax, Harold and Valerie catch-up once more with Burt. Valerie takes them to New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel where they meet Paul Canterbury (Mike Myers) an MI6 spy, maker of glass eyes and an ornithologist and Henry Norcross (Michael Shannon) a US Naval Intelligence Officer, maker of glass eyes, ornithologist and partner of Canterbury - Valerie's benefactors from Amsterdam who are secretly spies masquerading under their other guises. Paul and Henry explain that the Council of Five are planning to overthrow the American government and that Dillenbeck can help them foil their plot.

The three finally are granted a meeting with Dillenbeck having got past his gatekeeper wife, and who is offered US$40K from a fat middle aged man on behalf of an unnamed benefactor to deliver a speech rallying veterans to forcibly remove President Franklin D. Roosevelt from the White House and install Dillenbeck as a puppet dictator in his place. Dillenbeck agrees and plans to speak at a reunion gala that Burt and Harold are hosting, in order to draw out whoever is behind the plot.

At the reunion event, Dillenbeck instead makes his own speech instead of the one he was paid to say. Milfax, from the rafters directly above the stage has intentions to shoot Dillenbeck for going against the plan, but Harold and Valerie spot him and are able to thwart him in time. Milfax is arrested, while the Council of Five are revealed to be four industry leaders, including Tom, who are fanatically obsessed with Benito Mussolini, Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler and have designs on making America a fascist state, with Dillenbeck becoming the fifth member of the secretive cabal, or so they had thought.

Tom and the other leaders are arrested by Police, but are quickly released as such people in high places often were, and so they in turn slander Dillenbeck in the press following their release. Dillenbeck testifies about the incident to Congress and returns home to live out his life. Harold and Valerie leave the country since they cannot be together in the United States aided by a slow boat out of New York organised quickly by Canterbury and Norcross, but not bound for Amsterdam as it will soon enough be overrun with the Gestapo exclaims Norcross, to which Valerie nonchalantly responds with 'who are they?' Burt wishes them farewell and plans to reopen his medical practice and pursue a relationship with Irma, finally coming out of the shadow of his estranged wife and his over bearing in-laws.

I have to say that I am somewhat surprised by the critical drubbing that 'Amsterdam' has received, because I, and the two movie buddies I went with to see this film, enjoyed this latest quirky comedy thriller supported by an ensemble of fine A-list acting talent. The trio of Bale, Washington and Robbie share a screen presence that is a pleasure to watch and between them they rarely miss a beat, delivering their quips, comedic one liners and sight gags with aplomb, and look as though they're having a great time doing it too. The production values and cinematography are also top notch, and whilst the story line zigs and zags, ducks and weaves, it is nonetheless a work of fiction with a modicum of a true story woven into the at times meandering narrative, but it works and all comes together nicely in the end. This may not be David O. Russell's greatest ever work, but as a story of the power of friendship and love; remembering those that exist on the fringes of our society; and thwarting the enemy at the gates, this is an entertaining enough period romp that merits the price of your movie ticket. 

'Amsterdam' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE COMEBACK TRAIL : Tuesday 17th November 2020.

'THE COMEBACK TRAIL' which I saw this week is an M Rated American crime comedy film Written and Directed by George Gallo who has twenty-two Writer credits, ten as Producer and sixteen as Director to his name including 'Double Take', 'Local Color', 'Homeland Security', 'Middle Men', 'Columbus Circle' and 'The Poison Rose'. This film is a remake of the 1982 film of the same name Directed by Harry Hurwitz. Featuring an ensemble cast, this film saw its Premiere screening at the 43rd Mill Valley Film Festival in California in mid-October this year and now gets a run in Australia ahead of its originally slated release Stateside in mid-December which has subsequently been pushed back to sometime next year. 

The film opens in 1974 Hollywood with grindhouse movie Producer Max Barber (Robert De Niro) sat at a cafe table with his business partner and nephew Walter Creason (Zach Braff) reading the latest Review for their new movie about to have its World Premier screening at a cinema just down the street. That movie is titled 'Killer Nuns' and lobbying the theatre in protest is a group of nuns parading up and down the street with placards chanting to boycott the film. They have sold no tickets to the World Premier event and Walter coyly says to Max that perhaps its time to give up on the movie making business. But Max is an old hand at the film game and he reminds his nephew that their company 'Miracle Motion Pictures' lives by the motto 'If it's Good, It's a Miracle' and as miracles happen every day they just need to watch out for one to land their way, and it will, such is Max's optimism.  

When Max arrives back at his home, which is right under the flightpath of an airport so the house shakes violently every time a plane lands or takes off, he is greeted by Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman) a mob boss whom he is indebted to to the tune of US$350K for financing 'Killer Nuns'. As the movie has bombed, Reggie wants his money back and straight away. After exchanging some dialogue about classic movies and Actors, Reggie gives Max three days to come up with the money, otherwise he's dead meat!

In the office of 'Miracle Motion Pictures' Max and Walter contemplate their futures and their next production. Walter picks up a script of a movie called 'Paradise' which Max wrote years ago, and which rival film producer James Moore (Emile Hirsch) who once worked for Max, has been keen to get his hands on for years, and is prepared to pay handsomely for it. But Max is very attached to 'Paradise' saying that it is Oscar material, the dialogue is top notch and that he has in mind certain production values and certain casting decisions to make the film - only he can't possibly afford the US$1M+ price tag to put his movie and his script into production. Max visits James Moore at his lavish home and asks for a loan of US$350K to pay off his debt to Reggie. Moore is prepared to write a cheque on the spot for the US$350K on one condition! And that is that Max sells him the rights to his 'Paradise' screenplay for which after some bidding toing and froing Moore ups the ante to US$1M, with the US$350K as a downpayment. Max is tempted, but still refuses to budge on his beloved script. 

After visiting the set of Moore's latest US$1M action movie starring the much loved and highly regarded Hollywood Actor Frank Pierce (Patrick Muldoon), at which Max and Moore are still at loggerheads over his 'Paradise' script, they witness Pierce fall to his death from six storeys up while preparing for a stunt. Later back home, the news of Pierce's deaths is all over the news channels, saying that as the Actor performed all his own stunts the studio will receive a US$5M pay out from the insurance company. Whilst Max is livid at Moore's good fortune in financing a film that had a budget of US$1M, he's going to get back US$5M and had less that one days film footage in the can. But, a light goes on inside Max's head. 

Enter Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) a washed up aging depressed old drunk who back in the day was a renowned Actor famed for playing a gun totting fearless cowboy. Now he resides all alone in a nursing home for retired Actors and once every day puts a single bullet in his six shooter pistol, spins the chamber and places the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger, thus far unsuccessfully. Max and Walter track down Duke and offer him the lead role in their new upcoming movie 'The Oldest Gun in the West'. 

Unbeknownst to Walter however, is the fact that Max has an ulterior motive in hiring Duke. Willing to perform all his own stunts, Max intends to kill off Duke during a stunt, and claim a hefty insurance payout. After hiring a suitable Director to helm the film project, Megan Albert (Kate Katzman), and bringing Reggie in on the scam just as his three day deadline is about to lapse, the movie goes into production. 

Reggie calls Max after the first day of filming to enquire about Duke's demise, but Duke survived his first stunt when his horse stalled at a burning wagon tossing him through the flames sending him crashing down to the ground on the other side, on fire. On the second day, Reggie calls again hoping for more favourable news that the lead Actor is well and truly dead, but Max reports that Duke survived another stunt involving a sabotaged rope bridge across a deep ravine with a fast flowing river below. On the third day after receiving further similar news of another survived stunt, Reggie decides to take the law into his own hands and visit the set and kill the sucker himself.  

In the meantime Max and Walter review the dailies and with Megan agree that the footage in the can so far has 'hit' written all over it. Walter is more excited about the prospect of them having their first sure fire hit on their hands than Max is, whose only interest is in killing off his star and claiming the insurance. In the meantime, Max just about survives a number of very near misses himself including getting kicked in the chest by Duke's stunt horse, Butterscotch. 

Reggie and a couple of his henchmen arrive on the set just as Duke is about to shoot a crucial scene involving him and a bunch of native Indian Americans standing off against a town's Sheriff, with both sides poised to draw their guns. Reggie walks straight in on the scene as Megan calls 'cut' with his own pistol drawn ready to gun down Duke for real. Sensing the commotion, Duke mounts Butterscotch, hauls up Max onto his back and gallops off, leaving Reggie to give chase in his car. They arrive at an abandoned drive in movie theatre where Max ordered Walter to grab a roll of film and project it on to the screen, so that Reggie could see some of the unfinished footage for himself. At the crucial moment the film rolls, and Reggie gazes up at the screen with a big smile on his dial. He also thinks that the film is going to be a hit, and orders Max to finish the movie. 

With the film in the can, we fast forward some months to the World Premier of 'The Oldest Gun in the West' with the audience at capacity and the media in attendance conducting red carpet interviews with cast and crew. Max, Walter, Reggie, Megan and James Moore are all present with Reggie interrupting an interview with Max saying that he is from this point forward going to Co-Produce every one of Max's movies. Duke arrives on his trusted steed, but refuses to be interviewed or to watch the World Premier screening saying that he doesn't like big crowds or being couped up indoors. He'd rather be outside riding his horse, and off he gallops as we see him riding through the foothills under the Hollywood sign. 

This film seemingly has pretty much divided audiences and Critics alike, and its easy to see why. On the one hand it has a strong cast of De Niro, Jones, Freeman, Braff and Hirsch who don't deliver any laugh out moments but do manage to raise a chuckle every so often, and who genuinely look as though they're having a good time on screen by hamming up the movie industry of yesteryear with cornball jokes and pratfalls. On the other hand the script is a little ho hum, the plot is predictable but at a fairly brisk running time of just over one hundred minutes, the film moves along at a good pace. It's not great, but it's not that bad either. 

'The Comeback Trail' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE IRISHMAN : Thursday 14th November 2019

'THE IRISHMAN' which I saw on the big screen at my local independent movie theatre while I still could earlier last week, has already been hailed as Martin Scorsese's finest film in twenty odd years. This American epic crime drama film which is rated MA15+ is Directed and Co-Produced by the acclaimed Scorsese and based on the 2004 memoir 'I Hear You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt. After languishing in development hell for about ten years, 'The Irishman' was confirmed as Scorsese's next film following 'Silence' in 2016. De Niro and Pacino were confirmed to star as was Pesci, who came out of his unofficial retirement to star after being asked allegedly fifty times to take the role by his good friend De Niro. 'The Irishman' saw its World Premier screening at the recent New York Film Festival, has received widespread critical acclaim, went on a limited cinematic release from early November and is then available via digital streaming on Netflix from 27th November onward. The film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons and Anna Paquin amongst others, has a run time of 209 minutes and cost US$159M - being one of Scorsese's most expensive films to date.

The film opens up with the camera panning down the hallways of a nursing home, past orderlies, patients sat in wheelchairs or hobbling around on zimmer frames, eventually settling on an ageing white haired man sat in a wheelchair and holding a walking stick. This is Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a WWII veteran who saw active duty in Italy (where he learned to speak Italian), France and Germany serving 411 days in total. He begins recounting his life post his discharge from the 45th Infantry Division, as a mafia hitman.

In Pennsylvania in the 1950's, Sheeran aged in his early 30's begins his civilian career by driving meat delivery trucks and starts selling off some of the sides of beef to a local gangster, who has a liking for quality cuts of steak. After getting accused by his company of theft, lawyer Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) gets him off a conviction against all the odds after Sheeran refuses to give the judge any names of who he was selling to. That evening the pair go to a local club hangout to celebrate and there Bufalino introduces Sheeran to his cousin Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), the head of the northeast Pennsylvania crime family, and Angelo Bruno (Harvey Keitel) the head of the Philadelphia crime family. Sheeran and Russell hit it off instantly, and consequently Sheeran begins to do odd jobs for Russell, including the occasional murder.

In time Russell introduces Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who has financial ties with the Bufalino crime family and is at odds with fellow rising Teamster Anthony Provenzano (Stephen Graham), as well as increasing pressure from the federal government. Hoffa forms a close bond with Sheeran and his family, and Sheeran becomes Hoffa's main bodyguard while he is out on the road travelling the country, visiting the local Teamster branches, and speaking at rallies.

In 1960 John F. Kennedy is elected into the Whitehouse. Bufalino is thrilled with this news but Hoffa sits on the other side of the fence and is none too pleased to say the least at this latest turn of political events. Conversely, when JFK is assassinated in late 1963 Bufalino is distraught with the news, while Hoffa can hardly conceal his joy - to the point that above the Teamsters offices where he sees the US flag is waving at half mast, he instantly has it raised to its full height.

Kennedy's brother Robert F. Kennedy, is named Attorney General, and forms a 'Get Hoffa' campaign in an attempt to discredit Hoffa, who is eventually arrested in 1964 for the attempted bribery of a grand juror, jury tampering and fraud in two separate convictions and was sentenced to thirteen years in prison in 1967. While in prison, his replacement as the head of the Teamsters Frank Fitzsimmons (Gary Basaraba) begins overspending the groups' accumulated pension funds and making loans out to the mafia. Hoffa's relationship with Provenzano, who was himself arrested for extortion, and winds up serving his sentence in the same facility as Hoffa at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania deteriorates beyond repair while they are inside. Hoffa is eventually released via a Presidential pardon from Richard Nixon in 1971 just four years into his sentence, although he is forbidden from taking part in any Teamsters business until 1980.

Despite the terms of his early release, Hoffa begins his plans to resume power as the head of the organised unions. With Sheeran he travels down to Florida to seek Provenzano's endorsement, but that meeting goes far from well, with the two getting into a brawl. In turn, Hoffa's growing disrespect for other Teamster leaders and related crime family interests begins to concern Russell Bufalino.

During a testimonial dinner held to honour Sheeran, Bufalino tells Sheeran to confront Hoffa and warn him that the heads of the crime families have deep concerns with his behaviour. Sheeran has already attempted such conversations in the recent past, and believes that Hoffa is too head strong and too determined to heed his warnings, despite their close bond. Hoffa then discloses to Sheeran that he knows what Bufalino and the other dons don't know, and further claims that he is untouchable because if anything ever happened to him, they would all end up in prison.

In 1975, while driving their way to the wedding of Bill Bufalino's daughter in Detroit, Russell tells Sheeran that things have gone far enough with Hoffa, and his death has been authorised. The two drive to an airport where Sheeran boards a small private jet to Detroit, leaving Russell waiting in the car for Sheeran's return after the planned three hour round trip. Sheeran tells Hoffa he will be in town early in the day, but arrives later in the afternoon. Hoffa, who had scheduled a meeting at a local diner with Provenzano and Anthony Giacalone (Patrick Gallo), is surprised to see Sheeran arriving in a car with Hoffa's foster son Chuckie O'Brien (Jesse Plemons) and Sal Briguglio (Louis Cancelmi). They advise Hoffa that the meeting was moved to a house where Provenzano and Bufalino are waiting for them. Sheeran assures Hoffa that everything is fine and joins them in the car. Upon entering the house, Hoffa realises that no one else is there and that it's a set up. As Hoffa turns to speak with Sheeran, he shoots Hoffa twice in the head, dead, before laying the gun on the lifeless body in the hallway, and making a quick exit.

In the fullness of time, Sheeran, Russell, Provenzano and various others are eventually convicted on various charges not related to Hoffa's murder, and one by one their lives all succumb to life behind bars, expect for Sheeran who is eventually released and placed in a Philadelphia nursing home. He tries to make peace with his alienated daughters, but Peggy (Anna Paquin) never forgives him for Hoffa's disappearance, who of all Sheeran's associates and friends, Peggy was the closest too and most at ease with. Sheeran died of cancer on December 14, 2003, aged 83, in that nursing home.

'The Irishman' is an epic mob gangster film in terms of its run time, its fine ensemble casting especially from the three principle leads who are all in their mid to late 70's (as is the Director), its storytelling narrative, its production values and of course its Direction from the master of his craft, Martin Scorsese. Make no mistake, this is not as hard hitting as 'Goodfellas', or 'Casino', but is a reflection on one mans rise through the ranks of a Pennsylvania crime family and the Teamsters Union and for whom no job, no crime was too much. It's the story of a man who struggles to verbalise his inner feelings or his emotions, but is not afraid to let those feelings manifest themselves in acts of extreme violence, without showing any remorse or regret for his actions. It's the story of how age creeps up on all of us, with a telling line by Sheeran as he sits in his nursing home contemplating his end of days 'you don't know how fast time goes by 'til you get there'. And it's the story of how this man in particular counts the painful costs of a life of crime - not through remorse but regret in dying alone in a nondescript nursing home having alienated his daughters. And its a history lesson (some or all or none of it may be true) involving Presidents, the second most powerful man in America at the time, the mafia, those on the periphery and how they are all intertwined. There are some carefully placed one liners that will make you laugh out loud, there is plenty of blood letting, random acts of violence, and the dialogue is straight out of the mobsters playbook. De Niro, Pacino and Pesci are all on fine form here, as is the strong supporting cast who all give 100%. The one negative about this story is how a more meaty role wasn't included for a female lead - Anna Paquin as the disapproving daughter who ultimately turns her back on her father is the only female character who shines in her all too brief on screen appearances. Certainly worth the price of entry is you can catch it on the big screen somewhere, and failing that be sure to catch it from the comfort of your own sofa at home when it streams on Netflix from the 27th of this month.

'The Irishman' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-