At three hours and thirty minutes Martin Scorcese’s newest film, The Irishman, has quite enough run time to come up with at least a few excellent quotes for its characters.
With its release on Netflix and its snub at the Golden Globes, the movie has certainly been in the news lately, though often not with the glowing reviews or high praise it wasn’t certainly striving for. Still, as we reexamine this newest of De Niro and Scorcese projects, there are still a few things to enjoy, and some zingers to remember and maybe even use in some everyday conversation. Here are ten of the best bits heard in the over three-hour film.
I heard you paint houses.
Not only is it the defining quote of the movie (as in, I hear you kill people) but it’s also the title of the book on which the events in The Irishman are based. It clearly sets up the secret world of mobsters and hitmen, both having an alternate meaning to those who understand that statement as well as being mysterious enough that a person can make the comment in public.
It also happens to “paint” quite its own image as more and more murders are committed in the story.
Whenever anybody says they’re a little concerned, they’re very concerned.
Most of the best lines in The Irishman go to the star and Irishman himself, Robert De Niro’s, Frank Sheeran. Here, he’s helping the audience understand what the lingo in his particular line of business actually means.
The line works with mobsters but it can probably also be used when talking about a person’s parents or teachers as well. Think of the sarcasm and real-world applications this quote can be used for.
Three people can keep a secret only when two of them are dead.
If only Frank had paid attention to his own sayings he might have gone into a different line of business. Again, this quote is great because it offers a little bit of truth and a little bit of humor.
It can also ring true outside of the world of hitmen and the mafia. Think about highschool hallways or whispered cubicle meetings at the office. It’s amusing and relatable, and that’s often how a quote thrives outside of the picture it was a part of.
You’d never know it by looking at this guy, but all roads led back to Russ.
It’s always nice when one line references another (and not from the same series or movie). This particular statement stands out because of its similarity to the old proverb, “All roads lead to Rome”. Rome was one heck of an Empire and Russ was running his own sort of Empire in the movie as well.
The line means more because there’s a related history behind it, it’s something that will stay with you more than merely because it sounded good when spoken.
There’s a spot in the Schuylkill River everybody uses. If they ever send divers down there, they’d be able to arm a small country.
Frank is a little bit funny with his voiceovers throughout the film, in particular when he talks about what, to most hitmen like himself, is common knowledge. If it’s common knowledge for Frank, who else is it common knowledge for?
That’s a lot of firepower to be ignoring under the water of the Schuylkill River, but on screen, it offers everyone a little bit of a chuckle.
If there’s one person you can’t trust in this life, it’s millionaires’ kids.
Finally, Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) gets to speak for himself on our list.
Here Jimmy is referencing John F. Kennedy on the television, but in the political climate of 2019-2020, where a billionaire and his kids are also messing around in government offices, it still, sadly, rings a little bit true. And that’s why it’s a memorable line amongst three and a half hours of dialogue. It’s a movie set in the past, but how much has really changed since the time of Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa?
You charge a guy, always charge a guy with a gun. With a knife, you run away. Run away from a knife. So you charge with a gun, with a knife, you run.
This is Jimmy Hoffa’s advice after being shot at while he’s in a courtroom and on trial. Good advice? Bad advice? Does it really matter when it’s memorable advice? Certainly not when it’s in the movies.
It seems Jimmy is only willing to run from a fight when the odds are in his favor for getting away otherwise, as he’s doing in court, he’s going to meet all challengers head-on.
You definitely don’t want a silencer. You want to make a lot of noise to make the witnesses run away so they ain’t going to be looking at you.
This is just Frank offering a rundown of the decisions he has to make before he goes out on a job. The best part about it is the fact that he’s so upfront and simplistic about it.
These are just daily decisions to him, and that’s how he presents them in his voice over. Here’s what you have to do and why. It stands out in part because of his delivery, but also because of the contrast, the image makes to the normal decisions most people have to make on a daily basis.
Oh, boy, you don’t know how fast time goes by until you get there.
Here we have Frank speaking to the audience and the audience understanding him completely, even though most audience members have never been gangsters or hitmen.
But a single line that rings true can last longer than the movie it’s attached to. Sometimes it’s the best part. Sometimes it’s the only part. Sometimes it’s all an audience needs to hear.
You might be demonstrating a failure to show appreciation.
Joe Pesci’s Russell had to make out list somewhere, so here he is at last. Like Cool Hand Luke’s, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” this quote stands out because of its similarity to an already popular movie quotation.
It also defines Russell as a character really, and what’s not to appreciate when you can sum up your on-screen persona with one good line.
