The Irishman is a sprawling epic that spans multiple decades, but it all revolves around a single moment: the death of Jimmy Hoffa at the hand of his best friend, Frank Sheeran. Yes, there's plenty more movie after Hoffa meets his abrupt, violent end, but the Teamster leader's murder is what the entire movie builds to. It informs almost everything that comes both before and after.
And yet, Scorsese spoils the big climax in The Irishman's very first scene. Did you miss it? Go back and watch the opening of the movie again. After the long tracking shot through Sheeran's retirement home, the aging hitman looks at the camera and begins to tell his story. "I was a working guy," Sheeran says. "A business agent for Teamster Local One-O-Seven out of South Philadelphia. One of a thousand working stiffs, until I wasn't any more, and started painting houses myself."
Then, suddenly, there's a cut to a hand holding a gun. A shot rings out. A man falls to the ground, dead, blood splattering against the wall. Look familiar? If you've already seen The Irishman, it should. That's not a random victim. That's Jimmy Hoffa. You never see Al Pacino's face in the sequence, but the clothing, the hair, and the location all match those seen during Hoffa's full execution, which The Irishman shows in full about three hours later. Thankfully, the story is engrossing enough that you won't remember — or care — by the time the big moment comes around again.
