As I was watching it quickly became evident to me this was Scorsese's way of giving De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci their proper send offs into Hollywood's Mob Movie Valhalla for the rest of time.
From what I understand, Pesci had to be coaxed out retirement "several times" for the film, and now I can see why. It's tough to see aging actors trying to recapture the magic of their youth, and no matter how hard everyone tried, they never quite got there.
All three looked way too old, even with special effects, to play their character's much younger selves. For example, De Niro as "Frank" had a brood of daughters who looked like his granddaughters from the moment they were introduced into the picture.
The story was actually very good and I didn't even mind the long running time, but no matter how engrossing the plot became ie the "Hoffa Mystery", I kept getting stuck on their physical appearances.
My favorite of the three by the way was Pacino as Hoffa, mainly because he made me laugh with his superb "Pacino Only" abilities to deliver his lines in total harmony. He's always been a genius in that way, and age has had little impact for his impeccable approach to acting. He is truly a Hollywood Legend.
As I said, this was one last rodeo for the guys we all grew up loving as our favorite gangsters, a sort of romantic romp through a better era of film making and story telling. I don't think anyone could or will ever do it better. Grade: B-
From what I understand, Pesci had to be coaxed out retirement "several times" for the film, and now I can see why. It's tough to see aging actors trying to recapture the magic of their youth, and no matter how hard everyone tried, they never quite got there.
All three looked way too old, even with special effects, to play their character's much younger selves. For example, De Niro as "Frank" had a brood of daughters who looked like his granddaughters from the moment they were introduced into the picture.
The story was actually very good and I didn't even mind the long running time, but no matter how engrossing the plot became ie the "Hoffa Mystery", I kept getting stuck on their physical appearances.
My favorite of the three by the way was Pacino as Hoffa, mainly because he made me laugh with his superb "Pacino Only" abilities to deliver his lines in total harmony. He's always been a genius in that way, and age has had little impact for his impeccable approach to acting. He is truly a Hollywood Legend.
As I said, this was one last rodeo for the guys we all grew up loving as our favorite gangsters, a sort of romantic romp through a better era of film making and story telling. I don't think anyone could or will ever do it better. Grade: B-