The Irishman

How this film uses it

Frank narrates the entire film from a nursing home wheelchair. Because he is looking back, every murder sounds like a confession. You end up in the position of a priest hearing a confession you didn't ask for.

Where to see it

The nursing home corridor scene that opens the film. Frank's wheelchair and voiceover set up the end-of-life viewpoint that all the memories flow from.

How this film uses it

Frank's narration is matter-of-fact, methodical and free of remorse. Scorsese's achievement is that this flat tone condemns Frank more than any confession would. You also can't avoid going along with his point of view.

Where to see it

Frank's narration describing how to dispose of a body. He delivers it in the same tone as a recipe.

How this film uses it

The road trip to the wedding of Bill Bufalino's daughter is the anchor of the film. From it, the story keeps dropping into flashbacks inside flashbacks. Scorsese moves between decades, and the digital de-aging of the actors helps mark which period you are in.

Where to see it

The road trip structure itself. As the car moves through the American landscape, it sets off memories in pieces that come out of order.

How this film uses it

The film keeps cutting to brief text cards that announce how and when men we have just met will die. After that, every handshake and conversation carries the weight of what is coming, and it builds into dread.

Where to see it

The title cards appearing over living characters. They name how and when each man dies before he has finished speaking.

How this film uses it

Scorsese's trademark montage cuts quickly through years of mob ritual, fish deliveries and backseat negotiations. It squeezes decades of crime into a few electrifying minutes.

Where to see it

The early montage of Frank's rise through the Bufalino organization. It is cut to music and narration in the Goodfellas tradition.