The Irishman spoilers explained
How does The Irishman end?
The film ends with Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) an old man, reflecting on his life and his involvement with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). He visits the grave of Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), the mob boss who had ordered him to kill Hoffa. Sheeran's health is failing, and he is struggling to come to terms with his past actions. The film ends with Sheeran's voiceover, as he recounts his story and the events that led up to Hoffa's disappearance.
What is the main twist in The Irishman?
Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) is a hitman who claims to have been involved in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), but the film's narrative structure and Sheeran's own testimony raise questions about the reliability of his account. The film's final scenes suggest that Sheeran may have fabricated or exaggerated his role in Hoffa's disappearance. The truth about Hoffa's fate remains unclear, leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.
What happens in The Irishman?
The film opens with Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) as an old man, recounting his life story to a FBI agent. He claims to have been a hitman for the Bufalino crime family, and to have been involved in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film then flashes back to Sheeran's early life, growing up in Philadelphia and becoming involved with the mob. He meets Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), who becomes a mentor and a friend. Sheeran becomes a hitman, and is involved in several high-profile assassinations. He also becomes close friends with Jimmy Hoffa, who is the leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. As Hoffa's power and influence grow, he becomes a target for the mob, and Sheeran is ordered to kill him. The film then cuts back to the present, as Sheeran reflects on his life and his actions. He visits the grave of Russell Bufalino, and struggles to come to terms with his past. The film ends with Sheeran's voiceover, as he recounts his story and the events that led up to Hoffa's disappearance. Throughout the film, Sheeran's narrative is intercut with footage of real-life events, including the rise and fall of Hoffa and the Bufalino crime family. The film's use of non-linear storytelling and multiple timelines adds to the complexity and ambiguity of Sheeran's story.
Quick, non-spoiler context
Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.
Sources and methodology
Title, release, genre, artwork, and rating metadata come from The Movie Database (TMDB). The spoiler explanation is AI-assisted, checked by automated consistency and completeness rules, and may contain errors. See our AI transparency note and report a correction.
