Wildly Over-Rated -- My Review

Summary: Frank Sheeran allegedly recounts his mafia secrets. He claims to have been involved in just about every big mob hit from his era, and personally did Hoffa.

In a word: languorous. The exposition is relentless. It's like an audiobook set to music and images rather than a movie. Film editor? They needed a story editor. And yet the movie has received almost universal praise. Why? Because of the talent involved?? Let's not confuse "needlessly long" with "epic."

The camera floats around for some nice, extended takes, but we're generally introduced to a bunch of people we don't know and don't care about. The central story is about slaying Jimmy Hoffa, but it takes an hour to introduce the guy and he's gone thirty minutes before we cut to black. My mind couldn't help but wander to Stand Up Guys, where Christopher Walken is to ordered to kill his best buddy (played by Al Pacino).

The main character is unremarkable. He's not particularly funny or interesting. And he lacks agency. He's a guy who simply follows orders. One interesting moment is where Hoffa tells Sheeran he's absolutely not going to meet with the little guy. Then Sheeran's boss (Pesci) asks if Hoffa's going to make the meeting and Sheeran says, "He's thinkin' about it."