Controversial Grocer Scene in De Niro's The Irishman Actually Works

Martin Scorsese reunited with Robert De Niro for 2019’s The Irishman, reuniting a cast that included Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. The film spans from the mid-1940s to the 1990s, and De Niro, who was 74 at the time of production, appears in nearly every scene, prompting the use of controversial de-aging technology.

An early moment that divided viewers is the grocer scene, in which a supposedly middle-aged Frank Sheeran kicks a man on the sidewalk. The effects sometimes clean up wrinkles and age spots, but the inconsistency is visible here: De Niro’s body shows elderly fragility and leg‑shaking, and the stationary wide shot leaves the violence feeling more sad and pathetic than terrifying.

The scene echoes a trope in Scorsese’s mob movies—an eruption of violence in a mundane setting—and specifically nods to Goodfellas. Its purpose is not merely shock; the focus is Peggy’s recognition of who her father truly is.

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