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Charles Brandt had his own confession to make.
“I blame myself.”
The teacher-turned-prosecutor-turned-author had been on the receiving end of secrets, from tough guys and mobsters to undercover FBI agents. But when he was asked why it took so long for one of his best-selling true crime books to become a movie, Brandt pointed the finger at himself.
The New York native born to Italian immigrants is riding high after the mob thriller “The Irishman” made its world debut at the New York Film Festival last week. The Martin Scorsese-directed film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci is adapted from Brandt’s 2003 book, “I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa.” The book tells the story of Frank Sheeran, who fought in World War II and returned from the war zone with an appetite to kill. Sheeran would become a hitman for Northeastern Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino. Sheeran, known as “The Irishman,” told Brandt about the period of five years the deeds he committed for Bufalino and Jimmy Hoffa. He also confessed that he was the one who killed Hoffa.
On screen, De Niro portrays the imposing Sheeran, Pacino takes on Teamsters giant Hoffa, and Pesci, climbing out of retirement, is Bufalino. “The Irishman” is Scorsese’s first film with Netflix, and is backed by a $159 million budget, multiple locations and a 3½-hour running time. The Academy Award-winning director also employs de-aging visual effects on the three leads to illustrate decades in Sheeran’s life.
But it wasn’t the effects, the costs or Scorsese’s busy movie-making schedule that delayed the film. Brandt said it was his fault.
‘Who are you, the FBI?’
In July 2009, Brandt received a phone call — the Hollywood phone call.
“It was, ‘Hold for Bob De Niro, he wants to talk to you,’” Brandt recalled. However, Brandt was about to travel, but he knew not to say no to the guy who has played bad guys in movies like “Goodfellas,” “Casino” and “Heat.”
It was the first of many conversations between the two that would lead to a possible Oscar contender. De Niro had questions about the book and wanted to know if Brandt had any more material that was not included.
“He wanted to know who was Bill D’Elia,” Brandt said. William D’Elia allegedly took over the Bufalino crime family following Bufalino’s death in 1994. D’Elia also found himself in legal trouble, including serving time on money laundering and witness tampering charges in 2008. Brandt said De Niro also peppered him with more questions, seeking anecdotes and even Brandt’s age.
“I asked, ‘Who are you, the FBI?” Brandt recalled, musing over the talk that will later lead to a meeting with De Niro, Scorsese and screenwriter Steven Zaillian.
“Bob called on a Monday, and wanted me in New York on Thursday,” Brandt said, with the actor/producer wanting to hear more about Brandt’s time with the real-life Sheeran. Instead, he sent De Niro several recordings of Sheeran’s conversations and confessions with him.
Back to the drawing board
A month later, Brandt did meet with the trio to discuss more about the movie’s options. With the new material, there were changes on the horizon. Brandt was in a room with Scorsese, De Niro, Zaillian and Paramount executives on the 36th floor of a Manhattan hotel. At the time, Paramount was attached to produce “The Irishman.” It was supposed to be an hour-long meeting.
It lasted four hours. “The material was new to them … Great material,” he said. In those four hours, Brandt gave “Bob, Marty and Steven” more characters from his chronicles, impressionating them with their voices with only Pepperidge Farm cookies to fuel his delivery. When he finally took a break, they looked like “a grenade went off in the foxhole,” Brandt said.
Zaillian already had a script ready, but the additions Brandt required a do-over. To help, Brandt handed over a screenplay of his own.
“Zaillian is a great writer, don’t get me wrong,” Brandt said. “I wanted to log the material.” The new materials and rewrites caused the movie to lose its place in the film release calendar, and Scorsese went on to direct and release two more films, “Hugo” in 2011 and “Silence” in 2016, before returning to “The Irishman.” When Paramount dropped the picture, Netflix stepped in.
‘Part of the community’
While the film is based on Brandt’s book and previously untold stories, “The Irishman” includes moments that are from Northeastern Pennsylvania — some that are obvious and others that are subtle.
Brandt said these came from Sheeran and his tales about Bufalino but also from his visits to the region. These included book signings and his stop at the Northeastern Pennsylvania Film Festival in March. Residents who would approach Brandt during his stops would offer Bufalino anecdotes, and viewers may notice them in the film. “The reception was incredible,” he said about the festival. “I felt like a part of the community.”
Brandt also had a presence in the local media, serving as a guest on talk radio. He spoke highly of his times talking to Steve Corbett and Sue Henry about Louis DeNaples when the Scranton businessman faced perjury charges in 2008 and other topics. “I had a lot of fun. I have made a lot of friends,” Brandt said.
From page to screen
So what did Brandt think about “The Irishman”?
“It was a masterpiece,” Brandt said, with great enthusiasm. “I was gripped by it even though I knew what was happening.”
His wife, Nancy, accompanied him to Friday’s premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York. For the Brandts, the film’s opening scene was “eerie.” It begins with De Niro as Sheeran sitting in a chair as he tells his story. Brandt said that it felt like he was seeing the real Sheeran, engaged in their many sessions.
Critics agree with Brandt, as “The Irishman” stands with a certified fresh 100% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an average of 92 out of 100 with the website Metacritic.
Although it took 15 years to see “I Heard You Paint Houses” become “The Irishman,” Brandt was happy with how everything has come full circle.
“I blame myself,” he said, still believing he solely held up the production. But those around him — friends, loved ones and others — told him that he was “making it a better movie.”
“The Irishman” opens in select theaters Nov. 1 and will stream on Netflix on Nov. 27.
