After 10 straight days of movie magic in the capital, the BFI London Film Festival 2019 wrapped up with one of the most anticipated films still to come this year: The Irishman. Martin Scorsese’s latest sees the iconic director return to the mob movie genre he helped define throughout his career, from GoodFellas and Casino, to The Departed – this time in a multiple-decade-spanning story that offers meditations on ageing, regrets, and moral reckonings. The film received its International Premiere on the final night of the festival, with the director and his cast in attendance.
London Film Festival 2019 – The Irishman Closing Gala
1 of 10Martin Scorsese
2 of 10Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, and Robert De Niro
3 of 10Robert De Niro
4 of 10Al Pacino
5 of 10Anna Paquin
6 of 10Stephen Graham
7 of 10Harvey Keitel and Daphna Kastner
8 of 10Jack Huston
9 of 10Sandy Powell
10 of 10Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
The red carpet in Leicester Square played host to Robert De Niro, who plays the title role of Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran in the film, joined by Al Pacino, who plays Jimmy Hoffa. Fellow stars Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin, Jack Huston, and Harvey Keitel also attended the premiere, as did legendary costume designer designer Sandy Powell.
The film received rave reviews from its LFF screening, including a five-star verdict from Empire – which you can read in full here. The film is receiving a release in select UK cinemas from 8 November, followed by a wide international release on Netflix, who fully financed the production of the movie, on 27 November. It seems the master of the mob movie is well and truly back.