Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro 'Heard You Paint Houses'
Filed under: Action, Drama, Thrillers, Deals, Paramount, Scripts, Newsstand
I already smell Oscar nominations for this one. According to Variety, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are re-teaming for I Heard You Paint Houses, based on Charles Brandt's book. And another Scorsese alumni is writing the script -- Steve Zaillian, who not only scripted Gangs of New York, but won an Oscar for Schindler's List. See what I mean? A contender for Best Picture, and it isn't even filmed yet. The topic is familiar stomping ground for Scorsese and De Niro -- organized crime. De Niro will play the main man of Houses, Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran, who reportedly committed more than 25 mob murders. One of these was supposedly Jimmy Hoffa, who he confessed to killing and dismembering on the orders of mob boss Russell Bufalino. And if you're wondering about the title, it has a wonderfully gruesome origin: it's mob slang for a contract killing, due to the mess left behind on walls and floors when you carry one out.
Sheeran confessed all to Brandt, who befriended him before his death in 2003. While this seemed to clear up the mystery surrounding Hoffa's disappearance, controversy still reigns. Other hitman have confessed to the crime since Sheeran, and lacking conclusive DNA evidence or a body, nothing can be proved or denied. The FBI stopped looking for Hoffa's body in 2006. But Hoffa's fate is like the identity of Jack the Ripper -- no one will ever stop confessing, wondering, or looking.
As I said at the start, this movie has a perfect pedigree. But for the sake of argument, do you think it's just too safe? We all realize Scorsese knows a mob thriller like the back of his hand, and we know De Niro can play a guy who, well, paints houses to chilling perfection. I'd love to see Scorsese court some of that Last Temptation of Christ controversy again, but perhaps that's just too cocky of me to question.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-02-2008 @ 11:40AM
Ryan said...
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10-02-2008 @ 4:19PM
AJ Wiley said...
I feel guilty about surrendering to such utter cliche, but I honestly believe that Scorsese does his finest work when making mob movies. Every single one he's made is a masterpiece, and I hope this one is as well.
I mean, there are some other non-mob movies of Scorsese's I love, but just as many that I'm indifferent to. That's also somewhat how I feel about Kurosawa: Absolutely love his samurai movies, and some of his non-samurai stuff, but mostly the samurai.
This probably says more about me than it does them.
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10-02-2008 @ 6:35PM
Daniel Fieschi said...
This is probably one of the best news I've heard in quite a while...! I'm so looking forward to this.
Let's hope it starts production pretty soon. But please, M. Scorsese, do your Silence picture first. I'd really like to see his take on such a controversial theme, in Japan ("I'd love to see Scorsese court some of that Last Temptation of Christ controversy again, but perhaps that's just too cocky of me to question.").
Another thing I'd love would be Scorsese reteaming with Keitel... One day maybe.
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