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Martin Xicoses, who is known as a film social activist, has assembled three Oscar winners: actor Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, best supporting actor Joe Pesci, After ten years, this huge gangster movie- "The Irishman" was created. The
film has a strong documentary style. The numerous characters in the film, a large number of details, the presentation of events, and the span of half a century, coupled with a heavy historical background, establish the film's strong epic temperament.
Martin Sikoses' films have always had profound social significance. Today, let us talk about this masterpiece.
"The Irishman" and Martin Sicoses' previous two classic works of similar themes "Good Guys" and "La Gambling City" , the documentary is stronger, but the angle of entry is both Highly consistent.
They are all focusing on the entire life of a gangster, from the outside to the inside, analyzing layer by layer, exploring and revealing grand social propositions. The core of the film "The Irishman" is the essence of power in the capitalist world. The background of
was set in the 1950s to 1980s and 90s.
The American Mafia has entered a golden period of development. Relying on their growing strength, they are no longer satisfied with the traditional crimes of small-scale loan sharking, murder, and arson. Controlling guilds and getting involved in politics is a new criminal field, and becoming the ultimate player is their new goal. The
movie tells the story of the protagonist Frank, from a World War II veteran to a gang killer, survived the conflict of interest and entanglement between the mentor Mafia godfather Russell and his friend, American Truck Association Chairman Hoffa. The
film uses Frank's hand to lift the beautiful veil of capitalism dotted with democracy and freedom. What is presented to the world is a zombie full of evil, densely covered with maggots greedy and sucking.
On the first day when Frank took office as the chairman of the trade union, he rejected the banknotes that the head of the subordinate guild respected as usual. The subordinates were quite surprised at Frank's rejection. Corruption, degeneration, this is the true face of the guild in the capitalist world, the spokesperson who claims to represent the interests of the American working people.
Hoffanin did not give up his plot to retake the truck guild. This huge institution with 8 billion U.S. dollars of funds is no less than a big bank. Power and wealth are attached to this sordid land, and interdependence fools the people at the bottom.
The predatory nature of capitalism is fully demonstrated through war. From the Vietnam War when Frank was young, the invasion of Cuba, to the Gulf War when Frank was old, power was always making waves. It didn't stop for a moment.
power needs an agent. Russell, Hoffa, and Frank are all agents at different levels.
Frank joined the Mafia. Starting from a marginal man, he gradually gained the trust of Godfather Russell by working hard and became his apprentice. Although under the great care of Russell and Hoffa, Frank once became the chairman of the union in a region. But the nature of his work has not changed in the slightest, it is still killing. From the first killing whispered, to later killing Joe Gallo, and then to Hoffa, the social status and level of the target he wanted to kill became higher and higher.
Since the beginning of humans, the law of the jungle has dominated the entire history of human evolution. Frank is the enforcer of the rules, just like he used to be in the military, a low-level agent. Russell's order must be executed unconditionally.
Violence is an appendage of power and always serves power. Frank is an indispensable part of this sophisticated and complex machine of power. He has to do all the dirty work, and his personal will must absolutely obey this system, otherwise the system will swallow him ruthlessly, leaving no bones.
So the biggest difference between him and Russell and Hoffa is that he is passive, a tool of castrated personality.
Russell and Hoffa are two huge sharks, Frank is a small fish that survives in their overlapping area, trying to protect himself and his family, carefully maintaining balance. When two sharks go to war, the little fish must choose which side to stand on.
power = the highest level of violence, monopoly, exclusivity, the mostGreat feature.
Frank showed only the lowest level of power from beginning to end. Including him assaulting the grocery store owner who bullied his daughter Page, killing whispers in order to protect himself, including killing his friend Hoffa in obedience to Russell's orders. These killings are still in the primitive stage of power.
The energy contained in higher levels of power is much greater. This includes changing the vote of a state, launching an armed invasion of a hostile country, swaying presidential candidates, and even assassinating the president when the authorities face a disadvantage. These are the true temperatures of the power core.
and Frank Russell, the leader, represents a higher level of power.
influenced Kennedy to come to power, participated in launching the Bay of Pigs invasion, supported the overthrow of Castro, and was involved in the assassination of Kennedy.
Russell is the rule maker and the top level of the food chain. Russell once represented the American Mafia and participated in investment in Cuba. This is also mentioned in "The Godfather 2". As a part of the monopoly class, the Mafia is trying to dominate and dominate a country together with multinational companies. He was a big man with hands and eyes open to the sky. At that time, it was the golden age of the Mafia. The careerists in the Mafia were constantly making history.
If Frank is trying to suppress his character, then Russell is the master of his character.
His feelings for Frank can be said to be a very precise investment. No more, no less, just right. Whether it's preventing the Philadelphia Mafia from taking action against Frank, or giving gifts to Frank's family over Christmas, or even eating bread together. Both made Frank bow his head to himself and made him grateful for his life-saving grace.
He is a master of human nature. There is no doubt that Russell will kill him if Frank blocks his way. Personal feelings cannot override business, so he warned Frank not to give Hoffa information. In the movie
, Frank rode in Hoffa’s son’s car to meet Hoffa. Frank insisted on monitoring his actions to sit in front of him. This also deeply confirmed this point: This is business, including killing and being killed. Don’t confuse business with feelings. If Frank sits in the front seat of the car, the person in the back seat may have come to kill him, and the person in charge may be Russell. Even if Russell had saved his life, he still couldn't confirm this. Frank can betray Hoffa, and Russell can betray Frank as well.
Hoffa just ignored this, he trusts Frank 100%. This makes him obviously confuse the boundaries between power and emotion. Although he is a person who challenges the rules and wants to be a person who overthrows and sets the rules, his excessive ambition makes him a loser in the game. The power of
crushed him with an overwhelming advantage. He was also a person who did not realize that the times were changing. The failure of strategy pushed his friend Frank to the enemy camp completely. He is the most emotional of the three. Compared to Russell's care for Frank's daughter Peggy, he cares for Peggy from the heart. This is a taboo in the Colosseum of Power.
The old Russell and Frank were taken to prison and declared the end of their era.
The Gulf War played on Sony TV reminded Frank that the focus of power is shifting, and power has evolved in another way in the new era, which naturally eliminated these elderly people.
Time has abandoned them mercilessly, and in the dying years, the powerful heroes of the past are getting old. Only Frank was lonely, and he didn't even have the strength to paint the house. In the nursing home, Frank was surprised by the nurses, and when he didn't know who Hoffa was, he told the onlookers unmistakably that our time had passed. In
's infinite sighs, people can associate him with the Mafia. Except for the ring Russell gave him and the gold watch Hoffa gave him, the only thing left is to leave a gap in the door before going to bed.
(Editor/Uncle Fan)
