Is The Irishman Based on True Story? Irishman Ending Explained, Summary and Review
by Rubaditsha
Updated Mar 14, 2023
Is the Irishman based on True Story?
Yes, "The Irishman" is based on a true story, specifically the life of Frank Sheeran, a labor union official and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. The film is based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, which is a true crime account of Sheeran's life and his alleged involvement in the disappearance of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa. However, some aspects of the story are still debated and some characters and events in the film are fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
The True Story behind the Irishman
Exploring the Real-Life Figures of Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'
Martin Scorsese's film, 'The Irishman', is a tale that weaves together the stories of corrupt union leaders and mob bosses. The movie portrays a world where morality is lost among conflicting allegiances, and the narrator, Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, is as untrustworthy as the people he interacts with. The story is based on the book, 'I Heard You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt, and tells Sheeran's story through the corrupt Philadelphia mob underworld and the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. While the general story is known, the specifics are based on the real-life Sheeran's own accounts. The characters portrayed in the movie are real, but the truth behind their story remains shrouded in mystery.
Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino, was a powerful figure who helped turn the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters into the largest union in the United States. Hoffa and his union were long known for their association with organized crime. The Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field began investigating Hoffa and other Teamster leaders in 1957. Robert Kennedy, the chief counsel for the committee, saw the battle against Hoffa as a moral crusade, and when he became the Attorney General in 1961, he created a Justice Department "Get Hoffa squad." In 1964, Hoffa was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison on charges of fraud and jury tampering. President Nixon commuted Hoffa's sentence in 1971 under the condition he not "engage in the direct or indirect management of any labor organization." Hoffa went missing in 1975 and was declared legally dead in 1982. His body has never been found, and his son, James P. Hoffa, took over his father's role as the president of the Teamsters since 1999.
Russell Bufalino
Joe Pesci's portrayal of Russell Bufalino in 'The Irishman' shows him as a quiet leader of a Northeast Pennsylvania crime family. In reality, Bufalino was a powerful player in the Teamsters union, and according to Charles Brandt, he was even recruited by the CIA to spy on Cuba. Brandt's book also claims that Bufalino was behind some of the most explosive mob murders of his time. While these allegations are in dispute, Bufalino was certainly involved in an attempted murder. He had asked two associates in 1976 to kill a witness who was under the protection of the Federal Witness Protection Program. Bufalino had also threatened to have a man murdered over a $25,000 debt, and he was sentenced to prison for almost three years. In 1981, Bufalino was convicted of conspiring to kill a witness, which sent him to prison for nearly a decade. He died at the age of 90 in 1993.
Frank Sheeran
Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran's story is at the center of Scorsese's film. Sheeran's story, as told by Charles Brandt, places him at the center of some of the most sensational crimes of his time, including the assassination of Jimmy Hoffa. The specifics of Sheeran's story remain in doubt, but his associations with organized crime are well-documented. He was a close associate of Russell Bufalino, and his own admission to Brandt suggests he was involved in several crimes. Sheeran's admissions to the audience in the film are as unreliable as his assurances to his family. The truth behind his story is murky, and the film
The Irishman Ending Explained
The ending of "The Irishman" is open to interpretation, but it is generally believed to convey a sense of regret and emptiness.
In the final scenes of the film, Frank Sheeran is shown in a nursing home, alone and reflecting on his life. He is visited by a priest who tries to offer him solace and forgiveness, but Sheeran appears distant and unresponsive. He then looks at a door down the hallway, as if waiting for someone to come through it, but no one does.
The implication of the ending is that Sheeran is haunted by his past and the many crimes he has committed. He is alone and isolated, with no one left to turn to. The door down the hallway represents the possibility of redemption or reconciliation, but it never materializes.
Some viewers have interpreted the ending as a commentary on the futility of a life of crime and the toll it takes on the soul. Sheeran has spent his life as a hitman and enforcer for organized crime, but in the end, he is left with nothing but regret and loneliness.
Others have viewed the ending as a commentary on the aging process and the inevitability of death. Sheeran is an old man in a nursing home, nearing the end of his life. The door down the hallway could represent the afterlife or some kind of spiritual enlightenment, but it remains closed to him.
Overall, the ending of "The Irishman" is meant to leave the audience with a sense of melancholy and reflection on the choices we make in life and the consequences that follow.
The Irishman Summary
"The Irishman" is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 2019, based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt. The story follows Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a truck driver turned hitman who becomes involved with both the Philadelphia mob and the Teamsters union, led by Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film depicts a corrupt world where truth is uncertain and alliances shift constantly.
Jimmy Hoffa was the president of the Teamsters union from 1957 to 1971 and was one of the most powerful labor leaders in the U.S. However, he had connections to organized crime, and his association with them led to a congressional investigation. He was eventually convicted of fraud and jury tampering and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He disappeared in 1975 and was declared legally dead in 1982.
Russell Bufalino was a quiet leader of a Pennsylvania crime family who was also a powerful player in the Teamsters union. According to Brandt's book, he was behind some of the most explosive mob murders of his time. He was convicted of conspiring to kill a witness and spent nearly a decade in prison before dying at the age of 90.
Frank Sheeran, the protagonist of the film, was a real person who claimed to have been involved in some of the most sensational crimes of his time. However, definitive facts are in short supply, and the two largest crimes shown in the film remain unsolved. Sheeran died in 2003, and his claims remain a matter of debate among historians and experts on organized crime.
Overall, "The Irishman" is a gritty and complex depiction of the criminal underworld and its connections to labor unions and political power. The film challenges viewers to question their assumptions about loyalty, morality, and the nature of truth in a world where nothing is certain.
The Irishman Review
"The Irishman" is a Martin Scorsese film released in 2019, based on Charles Brandt's book, "I Heard You Paint Houses," which tells the story of mob foot soldier Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro. Set in 1950s America, Sheeran, a World War II veteran and truck driver, comes under the wing of powerful crime boss Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci. Sheeran rises through the ranks to become a mob enforcer and is seconded to work with Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. However, eventually, his two bosses clash, leading to a riveting tale of the American underworld. The film is Scorsese in mature mode, a fascinating reflection on time, ageing, connections, and guilt that reaches parts other gangster films only dream of. It features terrific performances from the cast, with De Niro giving his best work in years, Pesci creating a fantastic character in Bufalino, and Pacino excelling as the volatile and cunning Hoffa. The film's three-and-a-half-hour runtime is not a hindrance, and Scorsese's direction makes excellent use of the time to deliver a compelling story. While the film slightly loses focus in its middle stretch, where Scorsese tries to broaden the story into a history lesson, this does not detract from the overall quality of the movie.
Is the Irishman based on True Story: FAQs
Yes, "The Irishman" is based on a true story, specifically the life of Frank Sheeran, a labor union official and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. The film is based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, which is a true crime account of Sheeran's life and his alleged involvement in the disappearance of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa. However, some aspects of the story are still debated and some characters and events in the film are fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Jimmy Hoffa was a powerful figure who helped turn the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters into the largest union in the United States. Hoffa and his union were long known for their association with organized crime. He went missing in 1975 and was declared legally dead in 1982. His body has never been found.
Russell Bufalino was a powerful player in the Teamsters union and the alleged leader of a Northeast Pennsylvania crime family. According to Charles Brandt, he was even recruited by the CIA to spy on Cuba. Brandt's book also claims that Bufalino was behind some of the most explosive mob murders of his time.
Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran was a labor union official and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. He is the main character in "The Irishman" and the story revolves around his life and alleged involvement in the disappearance of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
The ending of "The Irishman" is open to interpretation, but it is generally believed to convey a sense of regret and emptiness. Frank Sheeran is shown in a nursing home, alone and reflecting on his life. The implication of the ending is that Sheeran is haunted by his past and the many crimes he has committed. He is alone and isolated, with no one left to turn to. The door down the hallway represents the possibility of redemption or reconciliation, but it never materializes.