One debated real-life detail in directorMartin Scorsese’s Netflix gangster movie gets addressed by an expert who gave it a perfect accuracy score. What’s notable about the crime movies Scorsese has made over the decades is thatmany of them pull from real-world events, dramatizing them in lengthy stories that maintain their realism. This includes thetrue story ofKillers of the Flower Moon, which, while slightly embellished for the sake of the adaptation’s plot, contains key information about the Osage murders in the 1920s.

However, some ofScorsese’s best movieshave been crime films involving gangsters, withone of the director’s most-recognized movies being the 1990 biopicGoodfellas. The gangster movie was one of his many collaborations with actor Robert De Niro, who starred in 10 movies across the director’s career. This includes movies from before the gangster film, likeTaxi DriverandKing of Comedy, to later entries likeCape FearandCasino. However, one gangster movie later in their careers includes a debated real-life detail that’s now been addressed by an expert in the field.

Split image of Frank in a nursing home and Jimmy in court in The Irishman

The Irishman Gets A Perfect Accuracy Score - Despite A Contentious Detail

One Aspect Of The Truth Remains Shrouded In Mystery

A former mobster has analyzed a scene from Scorsese’sThe Irishman, giving it a perfect score despite one debated detail. The 2019 Netflix original followsFrank Sheeran (De Niro), a hitman who becomes involved with the Bufalino crime familyand Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).The Irishman’s storyis based on the 2004 bookI Heard You Paint Housesby Charles Brandt, about the confessions of the real-world Sheeran about alleged crimes he committed. However, the truth behind his crimes has been largely debated, including confessions that he killed Hoffa and Colombo crime familycapoJoe Gallo.

10 Scorsese Trademarks In The Irishman

From voiceover narration to religious overtones, The Irishman exhibits many of the familiar hallmarks of Martin Scorsese’s filmmaking.

Speaking withInsider, on theirHow Real Is It?series,former mobster Anthony Ruggiano Jr. gave the scene of Sheeran killing Gallo inThe Irishmana perfect score, despite debates about who killed him. At 7:02, he explained the details involved in Gallo’s murder were correct, from the shooter not using a silencer to him getting killed in Umbertos Clam House while eating with his family. He acknowledges it’s unclear if Sheeran was really there, but gives it a 10 out of 10 for getting all the other details right. Check out what Ruggiano Jr. had to say below:

Robert-De-Niro-The-Irishman

Yeah, you definitely want to make noise. I mean, why would you use a silencer? He doesn’t want anybody to be running at him or chasing him. He would want people to be scared, so that made a lot of sense not to use a silencer. I don’t really know of any mob hits that I know of that there were silencers involved.

They killed Joe Gallo in a crowded restaurant on Mulberry Street. Joe Gallo was a main member of the Colombo family, and he wanted to be the boss. And when he got out of prison, he kidnapped captains because he didn’t like the fact that the Commission made Joe Colombo the boss. Colombo got shot at the rally for the Italian American League, and the rumor is that Joe Gallo had that set up. The reason why they killed him in Umbertos [Clam House], I would say, is because he would have been a tough guy to get. Like, he let his guard down that night because he knew the rule. He knew that he was with his wife, he was with his daughter, so he let his guard down that night, and that was the perfect night for them to kill him. And the mob rule is you didn’t do that in front of kids or wives. You didn’t kill a guy in front of their family. So that was really realistic. They actually broke the rules to get to him because he was dangerous.

Article image

Robert De Niro’s playing Frank Sheeran, and whether Frank was the actual shooter is debatable. A lot of people have confessed to the Joe Gallo murder. I don’t know for sure, but all I know is that’s exactly how the murder went down.

And as you notice, he didn’t leave the gun. He threw it in the water. I know guys that threw guns down sewers, down potholes, broke them up. I would give this a 10 [out of 10]. That’s exactly how it went down outside of him maybe not being the shooter, but that’s actually how it happened and when it happened, and who was there.

What The Irishman’s Accuracy Score Says About The Movie

Even With Debated Details, It’s Still Highly Realistic

Ruggiano Jr. givingThe Irishmana perfect accuracy score indicates just how realistic its presentation truly was, even if Sheeran’s involvement remains unclear. SinceScorsesehas plenty of experience crafting stories based on real events, it makes sense for his Netflix gangster film to push for perfection in all its little details. Its accuracy approval from a former mobster only makes the film even better, both in entertainment value and relevance to its real-world history.