Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you will no doubt have heard the hype surrounding The Irishman.
A Martin Scorsese masterpiece, the film brings together the formidable talents of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. The epic gangster drama is an absolute must see for those who have long loved Scorsese’s meditative takes on the crooked and ruthless mobsters who have found their way into American history.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a stunning film with a stellar soundtrack and the sort of cast most directors could only dream of pulling together. However – at a leg-crossing 209 minutes – it’s also pretty bloody long.
You can watch the trailer here:
Now on Netflix, fans can enjoy the film at their leisure; with the pause button and a fridge full of subsistence to hand.
However, in this box set hopping age, such a lengthy film is a pretty big ask, even one as monumental as The Irishman.
Fortunately, one clever fan has got you covered; chopping the grand, sweeping story up into four digestible bites; a make-shift mini-series to enjoy at your leisure.
Swedish-based entertainment journalist and self-proclaimed movie lover Alexander Dunerfors has created a viewing guide for all those who get fidgety a couple of hours into a film. And it’s pretty perfect.
Dunerfors has entitled the first episode ‘I Heard You Paint Houses’, and has advised viewers to watched from the very start up until the 49:00 minute mark.
‘Episode 2’ has been christened ‘Hoffa’, and spans 49:00 to 1:40:00. By this point, you’ll be half-way through your season and will be ready to order your takeout before – let’s face it – bingeing onward.
From 1:40:00 to 2:47:30, viewers can catch the third episode, called ‘What Kind of Fish?’, followed by the fourth (‘It Is What It Is’) which will take them right up to the finale.
Cleverly constructed to fit around key moments of the film, the mini-series version of The Irishman may well make for more considered watching; with viewers given the time and space to reflect on each phase of the movie.
Plenty of us would love to spend over three hours basking in front of this absolute belter of a movie, however with jobs, kids and various adult responsibilities, many do not have this luxury.
Although some cinema purists have recoiled in horror at Dunerfors’ butchery, many others have thanked him for enhancing their viewing experience.
One person tweeted:
Movies this long used to have intermissions. People need a break for a variety of reasons. Also the reason why bookmarks were invented for books.
Another said:
Thanks for this! I love film and would totally watch it in it’s entirety, but being a single parent that works full time and has to help my parents I’m lucky if I get two hours of free time in a week. Let alone three and a half in one night.
Next week Dunerfors will reportedly be taking his editing knife to Ben-Hur which – at a comparatively snippy 212 minutes – is still an absolute behemoth of movie.
No doubt his chipping and chopping will raise the heckles of those who insist breaks ruin the pacing of a film. However, speaking as someone with a bladder, I’m personally all for it.
The Irishman is available to stream on Netflix now.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.