Discussion Film / TheIrishman

• On a similar vein, former mob boss Michael Franzese also confirms that it wasn't Frank Sheeran who killed Jimmy Hoffa, making a major part of the movie completely ahistorical.

I'm not too sure about a former mob boss being used as a credible source about who killed who 40 or 50 years ago.

Removed:

• The Sociopath: Frank is a downplayed but fairly accurate depiction of the kind of sociopath found among the rank and file of the mafia. While he does feel attached to Bufalino, Hoffa and his own family, this fondness isn't particularly deep and can be ignored at the drop of a hat—exemplified when he kills Hoffa despite quite liking the man. Later in life, he regrets some of his actions but doesn't feel true remorse, even when the nursing home priest attempts to coax it out of him. He sees violence as an end to justify the means and is unable to grasp why his daughter Peggy is horrified to see him viciously assault the store owner who hit her. Though Frank isn't nearly as unstable or reckless as someone like Tommy DeVito from Scorsese's earlier film Goodfellas, his blunted empathy and lack of remorse are sociopathic hallmarks.

This seems like a Square Peg Round Trope. Frank does bad things, but he does have emotional attachments to people, which drive the drama of the film. If he were a sociopath, it would be a much different movie.

Removed:

• Deconstruction: A massive one to mob movies. The life seems glamorous, but at the end of the day the people you think are your friends have no true loyalty to you. You can be murdered at the drop of a hat for ridiculous reasons and nothing you do will be remembered or matter at all. All you'll have left to look forward to is a sad, lonely life in a nursing home with your family totally estranged from you. One of the effective ways this is done, is when a Mafia member, boss, or associate is introduced in their fancy suits and environment smiling, a text appears beside them showing how they died, and its usually though violent means. Only a few die of natural causes and their intros aren't as glamours.

This doesn't seem to really be a deconstruction. Showing that mob life can be pretty unglamorous and deadly is pretty standard material for mob movies.