My mother told me she read that only 18% of viewers who watched The Irishman last week actually viewed it through to the end....

@jorgito2001 said:

right after Jimmy Hoffa gets "off'd" the movie seemed to draaaaaag all the way to the finish line. Could've used a bit of clean up/editing. To think Scorcese's cut runs some 4 hours..he could've shaved off another 15-20 mins IMO.

Not sure I agree that cutting time off is necessary the solution to the problem with this film.

Can't quite put my finger on it but if anything what I think it needed was to more fleshed out - especially Frank's relationship with his family and additionally the family's relationships with others - earlier on in the film. So maybe better served as a mini-series rather than a film.

You mentioned Goodfellas and Casino and one of the criticisms I read of Scorsese in advance of seeing this was questioning what the point in just making another one of these films was. Clearly Frank's relationship with Peggy was the key thing he was trying to focus on post the Hoffa offing and the tragedy of that lost relationships may have been the a more distinct element Scorsese was looking at to make this stand out against these other films.

Like I say, it just think something was lost earlier on in not making the ending hit home for me. e.g. Frank being totally in Jimmy's inner circle seemed to happen incredibly quickly within the film and likewise Peggy loving Jimmy.

@The Midi-chlorian Count said:

@jorgito2001 said:

right after Jimmy Hoffa gets "off'd" the movie seemed to draaaaaag all the way to the finish line. Could've used a bit of clean up/editing. To think Scorcese's cut runs some 4 hours..he could've shaved off another 15-20 mins IMO.

Not sure I agree that cutting time off is necessary the solution to the problem with this film.

Can't quite put my finger on it but if anything what I think it needed was to more fleshed out - especially Frank's relationship with his family and additionally the family's relationships with others - earlier on in the film. So maybe better served as a mini-series rather than a film.

You mentioned Goodfellas and Casino and one of the criticisms I read of Scorsese in advance of seeing this was questioning what the point in just making another one of these films was. Clearly Frank's relationship with Peggy was the key thing he was trying to focus on post the Hoffa offing and the tragedy of that lost relationships may have been the a more distinct element Scorsese was looking at to make this stand out against these other films.

Like I say, it just think something was lost earlier on in not making the ending hit home for me. e.g. Frank being totally in Jimmy's inner circle seemed to happen incredibly quickly within the film and likewise Peggy loving Jimmy.

SPOILERS....

Hmmm. Perhaps if more time was spent on Peggy and Hoffa's relationship, toward the end when she rejects Frank, it might have been more solid, i.e. a better pay-off. This, in turn, might have made some of the film's concluding scenes more interesting and less tiresome. I still feel that time could've been shaved off the film around the end, but you have something.