Viewers Distracted By Robert De Niro's Eyes In The Irishman

Martin Scorsese's latest gangster flick The Irishman landed on Netflix yesterday.

After a short cinema run, fans finally got to see Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci back together again. Three of the most iconic actors of the last century.

But rather than the calibre of acting on display, what's really got people talking is De Niro's eyes - with some people comparing him to a 'cyborg'.

Those who have been lucky enough to have seen the three-and-a-half hour epic, have been freaked out by the star's piercing blue stare as he plays mob enforcer Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran.

Netflix

Spanning several decades, the movie tells the story former truck driver Sheeran who became embroiled in the murky world of Philadelphia's criminal underbelly.

However, rather than cast younger actors to play the stars in their former years, the production team invested a heavy dose of the budget on sophisticated anti-ageing software, allowing De Niro and Pacino to relive their 30s again while flexing their acting chops.

But the special effects have creeped some viewers out.

Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "The Irishman's youth tech is crazy but De Niro's fake blue eyes make him look like a cyborg mobster."

A second commented: "Still haunted by De Niro's fake blue eyes in The Irishman."

"De Niro's blue eyes in The Irishman are distractingly jarring", said a third.

While another added: "The de-aging on The Irishman is really good, but De Niro playing someone of Irish descent is hilarious. His blue eyes make him look like John Wayne."

But whether it's some newfangled tech or just a pair of blue contact lenses, fans have been blown away by the movie.

The New York Times described it as the director's 'least sentimental picture of mob life, and for that reason his most poignant', adding that it's a 'gift for cinephiles'.

Netflix

Meanwhile, Esquire added that this 'isn't just any old mob movie or Goodfellas-lite', but rather 'a haunting, poignant, twilight-of-the-gods drama tinged with regret, driven by monumental ambition'.

While people on social media have called it one of the greatest movies of all time.

"Just finished the movieThe Irishman and all i can say is it's amazing and one of best films have ever seen, amazing cast and Scorsese out did himself yet again", wrote one.

A second person said: "The Irishman is a pure masterclass! The film is reminiscent of Goodfellas. De Niro is phenomenal back to his best. Pesci I think will win an Oscar. Pacino, is well Pacino."

Topics: TV and Film, Interesting, Netflix, Weird

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom