The Irishman was one of the most talked about and anticipated movies of 2019. For good reason.

Director Martin Scorsese reunited with Robert De Niro -- while the director worked with Al Pacino for the first time -- to deliver an unprecedented crime drama that spanned decades and chronicled a real-life mob hitman's rise and tragic plateau.


Fans and critics could not get enough of the Netflix release, with particular attention paid to Industrial Light & Magic's technological advancements employed to de-age its main cast. Recently, Cinephilia & Beyond posted on Twitter a short (but very insightful) look behind the scenes about how a key scene in Goodfellas helped bring Scorsese's new movie to life. Watch below:

What You Can Learn

While the final 2019 render, when compared next to the original 1990 movie, isn't exactly photo-real or a perfect comp, the end results are very close. The tech ILM developed to avoid the actors having to wear cumbersome mo-cap rigs or dots all over their faces and costumes marks a significant breakthrough in visual effects -- one that will obviously benefit future productions. 

Moreover, it's further proof that filmmakers and actors are never really done or free from their work -- in a good way. Of all the scenes to revisit from Goodfellas for a test render, this one wouldn't top our lists but we see why ILM used it; it's clean and no frills and makes for a good comp.

And you can't ask for a better collaborator in this instance than De Niro, whose commitment to The Irishman compelled him to re-enact a scene he filmed 30 years ago to help shape the scenes he would film three decades later. 

What did you think of The Irishman? Give us your review in the comments below.