The Irishman suggests that not many gangsters make it through to pensionable age, but if you are one of the lucky ones there’s plenty of room for nostalgia. The real-life Frank was reluctant to share the details of his life with the FBI, but via the magic of the movies he tells his story directly to you – the viewer – in a three-and-a-half hour epic one could happily wish was twice as long.

Martin Scorsese’s first feature for Netflix, made at a cost to the network of $US159 million ($230 million), is the source of much brouhaha with cinema chains who have only limited access to the film before it begins streaming towards the end of this month. Don’t delay if you’d prefer to see it on the big screen.