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Six Great Dialogue Scenes in The Irishman (SPOILERS)

posted 4 years ago by ecarle (14979)
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The "entertainment value" of The Irishman boils down to these six dialogue scenes, to me, all in the second half:

ONE: Pacino's Hoffa going from seething to insulting at lunch with "the little guy" Tony ("You're late" "You have to account for traffic" "I did account for traffic" "Do you think I'm beneath you? Definitely") and "Little Guy" Tony's final raging remark "Yeah, I'll apologize after I kidnap your granddaughter and send pieces of her to you in a f'in envelope!" Big fight follows.)

Then these three at DeNiro's "Salute" Dinner Extravanganza

Pesci asks Pacino to give in on the union thing ("Is it money, because if it isn't, then I REALLY don't understand whats going on.") and Pacino cites the Miami lunch fiasco to Pesci ("He wore SHORTS to a meetin'! Nobody wears shorts to a meetin'!" Pesci calmly answers "No, they don't.")

Pesci gives Irishman DeNiro his "untouchable ring" -- "only three men have this and you are the first Irishman" -- and tells DeNiro he MUST convince Pacino to back off on his "take back the union dreams." "Tell him...it is what it is."

DeNiro tries to get Pacino to calm down and back off..."People are concerned. More than a little concerned. VERY concerned." DeNiro suggests death is the alternative. Pacino quietly rages "They wouldn't DARE." (Great moment) And Pacino reminds DeNiro "then you are in danger too, because you are with me."

FINAL SCENES

Two scenes, both between Pesci and DeNiro at the Howard Johnson's on the road. At first they seem like the same scene: "We've done everything we could for (Hoffa/Pacino.) He's gotta go." But the difference between the first scene(in a kitchen where Pesci make his own salad, and the second scene (in an empty restaurant for breakfast) is that in the second scene, DeNiro learns that HE must make the hit:

Pesci: I told you , we did everything we could for the man. And now its come down on us. I had to put you in this..or you never would have let it happen. Now you and your wife will be safe.

A series of scenes, one leading to the next, connecting to the next and building up to the inexorable confusion: Because DeNiro couldn't persuade his "friend" Hoffa/Pacino, to back off...DeNiro must kill him. And DeNiro dutifully does. And pays the price with his one daughter("Why didn't you call?") in particular, and his family in general, for the rest of his life. Alone.

I think those six dialogue scenes alone -- most of which have that great Scorsese wise guy comedy in them (especially Miami with the little guy) -- make The Irishman a great story to enjoy.

[–] ecarle (14979) 3 years ago

Actually, I've recently watched this again, and there are SEVERAL more great dialogue scenes:

The first meeting -- in prison - between Hoffa and Tony Pro(which also ends in a fight as the later Miami meeting will.)

The whole schtick at the end about "the fish on the back seat of the car." What's unsaid is important -- the fish was put there to prevent Tony Pro's assassin from sitting in the back seat where he could strangle someone. But we see NO fish..though the seat is wet and we are told it smells...we just get a very funny Scorsese-esque discussion of exactly what kind of fish WAS there("You just ordered a fish?" Not a particular type?")...who ordered it...how it was picked up. ("I need to know this in case I have to explain it to somebody else.") Very funny.