“The Irishman” tells a sweeping, decades-long story centered on Frank Sheeran, a quiet truck driver who slowly becomes involved with the Bufalino crime family. The film begins in the later years of Frank’s life as he narrates his past, reflecting on the choices that shaped him. He starts as a World War II veteran trying to make a living, but when he crosses paths with Russell Bufalino, a powerful and calm-spoken mob boss, Frank’s life takes a turn. Russell sees something useful in Frank—his cold efficiency and loyalty—and offers him work that gradually pulls him deeper into the criminal underworld.
As Frank becomes more trusted, he earns a reputation as someone who “paints houses,” a coded phrase in the mafia for carrying out murders. His reliability ultimately leads him to meet Jimmy Hoffa, the legendary leader of the Teamsters union, whose influence stretches across the nation. Hoffa is fiery, charismatic, and unpredictable, and Frank quickly forms a strong friendship with him. Hoffa trusts Frank more than anyone, and the two families grow close, sharing holidays and personal moments that blur the lines between loyalty to one man and loyalty to another.
However, power comes with instability. Hoffa’s conflicts with rival union members, the mob, and the U.S. government intensify as he seeks to reclaim control after being imprisoned. His stubbornness and refusal to compromise put him in direct opposition to the same criminal organization that once supported him. Frank finds himself caught between Russell’s orders and Hoffa’s trust, trapped in a moral conflict without a right answer. The tension is slow, heavy, and inevitable, building toward a betrayal that Frank wishes he could avoid.
The heart of the film lies not in violence but in its emotional weight. When Frank is forced to make a devastating choice, it shatters the foundation of his relationships and irreversibly changes his life. The movie follows him into old age, lonely and forgotten, sitting in a nursing home trying to make sense of the life he lived and the family he lost. His children, especially his daughter Peggy, see him as a stranger, unable to accept his past or forgive what he has done.
In the end, “The Irishman” becomes less a gangster film and more a reflection on aging, guilt, and the cost of loyalty. It shows that time spares no one, not even the powerful. Frank’s story demonstrates that the violence and decisions once made in moments of control eventually return in moments of solitude. The film ends quietly, leaving the audience to question whether loyalty is a virtue or a burden when it demands everything and gives nothing back.
