The Irishman saw the long-awaited reunion of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in this tale of real-life mob figure Frank Sheeran (De Niro) and his rise through the Italian mob family. Though the facts of Sheeran’s story have been largely debated, the film nevertheless provides a compelling and unique story about organized crime.
Though surrounded by more powerful people in the mob scene, Frank makes for a fascinating character to follow. Through his actions and the path his life takes, Frank can inspire sympathy in the audience, as well as fear. Here are some of the reasons we feel bad for Frank in The Irishman and some reasons we do not.
Feel Bad: The Outsider
The title of The Irishman is not just the nickname Frank earn amongst his friends, it is also a way of pointing out Frank as an outsider. In a completely Italian mob family, Frank is welcomed in despite being Irish and he is made to feel like he belongs.
However, when Frank is put in the middle of his friendship with Russell (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), it becomes clear he is not really one of them. They might consider him a friend, but they also expect him to follow their orders no matter what.
Don’t Feel Bad: False Loyalty
Early in the film, Frank is caught up in some legal trouble when he is accused of stealing from the butcher company he works for. When asked about it, he tells his lawyer “I work hard for them when I ain’t stealing from them”.
This line comes to represent Frank in a lot of ways. He cares deeply for Jimmy and is more loyal to him than anyone else. But that doesn’t mean he is not capable of betrayal. He even uses that loyalty against Hoffa, luring him into a trap because he feels he is safe with Frank there.
Feel Bad: Stuck In The Middle
Frank is put in an incredibly difficult situation with Hoffa and the mob where there is no easy way of settling it. As a friend of both sides, Frank is put directly in the middle of the disagreement and tries to be the rational mind when the two feuding sides are decidedly irrational.
Hoffa is far too stubborn for his own good while the mob is too paranoid for their own good. Frank only wants peace between the two sides and we can see how much it tears him up that this responsibly falls on him and he is unable to see it through.
Don’t Feel Bad: Murderer
Frank is not the man in charge and in many cases, he doesn’t seem to have a grudge against any of the people he kills. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he is absolutely a killer. We see him kill prisoner soldiers in cold blood while in the war and that emotionless approach to killing continues when he works for the mob.
Regardless of whether or not he is simply following orders, Frank put himself in this world and he is totally responsible for his actions. And seeing what some of those actions are, it’s impossible to look at him as an innocent man.
Feel Bad: Forced To Kill His Friend
While Frank never questioned his orders before, he surely wanted to when it came to Hoffa. After believing he has found a way for the two sides to comes together, Russell tells him that he’s done all he can for Hoffa and to not interfere in what has to happen next.
To make matters worse, Russell forces Frank to be the one to kill his friend so they know he’ll see it through. Though Russell is as good a friend to Frank as Kimmy is, there is an underlying threat that this is something he absolutely has to do.
Don’t Feel Bad: Calling Hoffa’s Wife
One of the most difficult scenes to watch in the film is Frank’s call to Hoffa’s wife after he goes missing. Frank delays calling her for days, not wanting to be confronted with what he did. After being questioned by his daughter Peggy, Frank finally makes the call.
The way Frank lies and tries in vain to comfort her is so uncomfortable. He knows what he did was awful and wants to avoid addressing it at all if he can. In the end, that call to Jimmy’s wife is one of the few things Frank is ashamed of.
Feel Bad: Peggy
What makes this movie so fascinating is that it shows aspects of the mob life that Scorsese’s other films never explored, specifically the older years of these men of violence. We see Frank and the others gradually age into helpless and feeble old men with nothing but regrets.
In one gut-wrenching scene, Frank tries to visit his estranged daughter Peggy at work only for her to reject him without a word. Seeing him beg just to talk to her is a heartbreaking moment of Frank realizing some things in his life are broken beyond repair.
Don’t Feel Bad: Bad Father
While Peggy rejecting her father might make us sympathize with him at that moment, we quickly understand why she wants this man out of her life. When Frank looks for sympathy from another one of his daughters, she tells him that the things he did to protect them is what pushed them away.
The girls feared their father and what he would do to protect them. They avoided telling them about their problems and struggles because they were afraid of who he might hurt in response. It is an eye-opening moment for Frank and a new way of looking at these kinds of characters.
Feel Bad: Left Alone
When Frank comes to the end of his life, it looks like the kind of existence we all hope we never experience as old people. All his friends are dead, his family doesn’t visit him, and he spends Christmas alone in his nursing home.
While it is his actions that led him to this, it is such a lonely life and it’s clear that Frank just wants someone to keep him company. The movie made a point of showing all the people who were killed early in their lives, but Frank’s life doesn’t seem much better than that.
Don’t Feel Bad: Remorseless
Even in this last stage of his life, Frank simply cannot muster any feeling of regret for all the lives he took. As he has various conversations with a priest, seeking some kind of solace before death, he admits that guilt is not something that weighs heavily on him.
Though he wants to feel bad, Frank might just be an evil man who is simply scared of dying alone. Though sad, it’s hard to muster any feeling of sympathy for someone who doesn’t show sympathy for anyone else.
