Although Scorsese’s 2019 film,
The Irishman, is a
fictional crime story, it is based on Charles Brandt’s book, I Heard You Paint
Houses, which incorporates interviews that the lead character, Frank
Sheeran, who was in real life a close friend of James Hoffa of the Teamsters labor
union, gave. Even so, viewers should not make the assumption that Scorsese’s
intent was to represent contestable explanations of historical events, such as
the disappearance of Hoffa. Similarly, it cannot be assumed that the actual
writers of the four Christian Gospel faith-narratives intended to write
historical accounts; in fact, it is perfectly legitimate to adapt historical
events in making theological points. In making The Irishman, Scorsese no
doubt wanted to present viewers with a problematic sketch of how weak the human
conscience can be in certain individuals. In his book on Utilitarianism, John
Stuart Mill begins by lamenting that no progress had been made over thousands
of years by ethicist philosophers on the phenomenon of human morality. Scorsese’s
film supports Mill’s point.
The full essay is at "The Irishman."
