Robert De Niro’s legacy in the history of cinema is unquestionable – and aside from gracing our screens with his acting talent, De Niro has also helped bring some truly powerful stories to audiences.
One of De Niro’s best-reviewed, most celebrated and quietly haunting films was adapted from a book he counts among his personal favourites.
When De Niro picked up I Heard You Paint Houses, the 2004 nonfiction title by Charles Brandt, he immediately saw its cinematic potential. “Marty [Scorsese] and I were working on a project before that, and it was a different type of genre film… I said, ‘Well, I have to read this book that I spoke with Eric Roth about a couple of years earlier when it came out,’” he explained during the Variety Screening Series.
“There might be a lot of good research material here. I read it, and I said to Marty, ‘You’ve got to read this book. You’ll see.’ And that’s how it started.”
That suggestion eventually led to The Irishman – a film that garnered multiple Oscar nominations, widespread acclaim, and recognition as a late-career triumph for both De Niro and Scorsese.
The true crime novel is based on extensive interviews with Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a World War II veteran turned mob enforcer, in which he admits to numerous crimes – including, most notably, the killing of union boss Jimmy Hoffa.
It chronicles Sheeran’s transformation from soldier to hitman, highlighting his entanglements with the Bufalino crime syndicate and his close bond with Hoffa. Framed as a final confession to author Charles Brandt, a former prosecutor, the book dives into decades of underworld history.
While I Heard You Paint Houses has been applauded for its gripping narrative and window into organised crime, it has also stirred debate, with some questioning the truthfulness of Sheeran’s account – particularly around the events surrounding Hoffa’s death.
In Scorsese’s adaptation, De Niro takes on the role of Sheeran, opposite Al Pacino as Hoffa, and is joined by a cast that includes Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, and others.
“It was all there in the book. It had so many great things in it. The way the Frank Sheeran character talks is totally believable, totally real,” De Niro said about what drew him in.
“The situations he describes are real. You can’t fake that stuff”, he added. “You know it’s coming from a real place. For Marty and our history of doing stuff, I thought this would be a really good thing to do.”