The Irishman’s Plot Is Actually Improved By Martin Scorsese’s Rare Use Of CGI
The digital de-aging of the cast for The Irishman is a topic of criticism for Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film, but the esteemed director’s rare use of CGI vastly improves the plot. Scorsese is traditionally organic in his filmmaking style: he is typically averse to excessive use of technology and even includes scenes considerably improvised by his cast. The Irishman, which is based on the Charles Brandt book I Heard You Paint Houses, spans several decades in its portrayal of Frank Sheeran’s introduction to, and eventual retirement from, the mob scene.
The film’s expansive structure presented a dilemma for Scorsese, where he had to choose between casting multiple actors for each main role or implementing technology to alter the appearance of his chosen cast. Scorsese’s frequent collaborators Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci star in the film as Frank Sheeran and Russell Bufalino, along with gangster genre regular Al Pacino playing Jimmy Hoffa. Scorsese was initially skeptical of using CGI to make his cast appear younger, fearing that the necessary equipment would be intrusive to the actors’ performances. Wanting the cast to be able to naturally engage with each other, Scorsese required the CGI to be implemented with minimal interference in the filming process. The effect of the technology was also reviewed to ensure it was not concealing key aspects of the actors’ portrayals.
Related: Why The Irishman's De-Aging Is Even Better Than Marvel’s
The result is not seamless, but the imperfections brought by the digital de-aging perfectly illuminate the movie’s retrospective look at mob crime. The Irishman is a film that is interested in the process of aging and the subjectivity of memory: the past is all Frank seems to have left, yet he
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