True or False: Fact-Checking 10 Moments From The Irishman

When making a movie based on real life events, the studio often uses some poetic license to make the narrative more compelling. This often includes leaving out key people, cramming several events into a shorter time frame in order to keep the story moving, or flat out making things up for the sake of making the movie more dramatic. For the Netflix movie “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese does a pretty good job of keeping it accurate, although for the sake of simplicity it leaves out a few factual points. Here are 10 moments in the movie, although with whether they are true or not.

Frank Sheeran was a WWII veteran

Sheeran served an unusually long tour in Europe – 411 days to be exact – taking part in various battles in Sicily and Anzio. Sheeran stated that witnessing and taking part in war crimes – including the summary executions of German war prisoners – influenced his decision to enter the violent world of organized crime.

“I heard you paint houses” is an actual mob expression

When Hoffa talks on the phone with Sheeran for the first time, he really did make this statement, although it’s not because Sheeran had a reputation for making houses look bright and colorful. It’s actually a reference to the blood that gets splattered all over the walls and floor during a mafia-style murder. It also happens to be the name of the book in which the movie is based on.

Jimmy Hoffa was last seen at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Detroit

Who precisely made Hoffa disappear and where he ended up has been disputed. Some claim he was buried under Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Another says he crushed Hoffa up in a car and subsequently sold it to Japan as scrap metal. But one thing is certain: the last place that he was known to be alive was at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Heights.

Sheeran confesses to murdering Hoffa

It is true that Sheeran confessed to the murder and even laid out the details regarding how it happened. On the other hand, prior to the publication of “I Heard You Paint Houses” in 1995, he had denied any knowledge about how Hoffa’s fate.