The Irishman (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Frank kills Jimmy Hoffa because he is ordered to do so by the mob, specifically through Russell Bufalino's crime family. By 1975, Hoffa's reckless attempts to regain power after his prison release have made him a liability to the Teamsters and organized crime. Frank carries out the hit because of his deep loyalty to the Bufalino crime family that gave him his livelihood and identity for decades.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Frank's primary loyalty is to Russell and the mob, even above his own family.

• frank sheeran
• jimmy hoffa
• murder
• hitman
• russell bufalino
• 1975

Frank's descent into organized crime begins when he meets Russell Bufalino, who helps him resolve a truck problem. After being accused of theft by his employer, Frank seeks help from lawyer Bill Bufalino, who advises him to protect his associates' names. This formal introduction to Russell marks Frank's entry into the criminal underworld, where he eventually becomes a trusted hit-man known as a 'house painter.'

Foreshadowing: Russell's early advice to Frank about protecting his associates hints at the deep criminal entanglement to come.

• frank sheeran
• russell bufalino
• organized crime
• hitman
• truck driver

Peggy's estrangement from Frank stems from two key moments: first, she witnesses Frank violently attacking a store owner, which terrifies her as a child. Second, and most devastating, she eventually learns that her father was responsible for murdering Jimmy Hoffa, the man she loved and admired. This revelation shatters whatever remained of their relationship, and Peggy cannot forgive him for betraying the man who treated Frank like family.

Foreshadowing: The store incident with Peggy watching serves as an early foreshadowing of the family destruction to come.

• peggy sheeran
• frank sheeran
• jimmy hoffa
• family estrangement
• daughter

When approached by a gangster called Whispers to kill Russell Bufalino and Angelo Bruno, Frank instead warns Russell about the plot. This decision establishes Frank's core character trait: absolute loyalty to his crime family. This choice defines his entire criminal career and eventually leads him to carry out the ultimate betrayal against his friend Jimmy Hoffa when ordered by the same family.

Foreshadowing: Frank's choice to warn Russell establishes that his loyalty to the mob supersedes all other considerations.

• frank sheeran
• russell bufalino
• loyalty
• whispers
• organized crime

In 1975, Jimmy Hoffa disappears after being murdered by Frank Sheeran on orders from the mob. Frank drives Hoffa to a house where he shoots him. Hoffa's body is never found, and his disappearance becomes one of America's most famous unsolved mysteries. The murder destroys Frank's family, particularly his relationship with his daughter Peggy.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at Hoffa's fate through the escalating tensions between Hoffa and Tony Pro, as well as the mob's growing anger at Hoffa's attempts to reclaim power.

• jimmy hoffa
• disappearance
• 1975
• murder
• mystery

Tony Pro Provenzano and Jimmy Hoffa become rivals due to competing interests within the Teamsters union. Tony Pro serves as a Teamsters Vice President who opposes Hoffa's attempts to regain power after his prison release. Their conflict represents a broader power struggle within the union that ultimately contributes to Hoffa's downfall, as the mob sides with Tony Pro against the increasingly uncontrollable Hoffa.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes these tensions early, showing that Hoffa's enemies within the Teamsters were planning against him.

• jimmy hoffa
• tony pro
• teamsters
• rivalry
• union

Frank ends up alone because his lifelong choices in organized crime have destroyed his family relationships. His daughter Peggy refuses to see him, having learned he murdered Jimmy Hoffa. His other family members have also distanced themselves over the years due to his absence and criminal lifestyle. In the present day, Frank lives in a retirement home, isolated and awaiting death, still hoping for a visit from Peggy that never comes.

Foreshadowing: The pattern of Frank choosing crime over family is established from the moment he begins his life in the mob.

• frank sheeran
• retirement home
• isolation
• family
• ending

Hoffa gets arrested due to an ill-timed statement he makes, which leads to legal trouble. The film shows how Hoffa's legal troubles escalate during the 1960s, particularly with the election of JFK, which threatens his influence. These events set in motion the chain of events that eventually lead to his downfall and murder.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes that Hoffa's legal issues and subsequent prison time create the instability that leads to his eventual murder.

• jimmy hoffa
• arrest
• jfk
• teamsters
• prison

'House painter' is the euphemism Frank uses throughout the film to describe his real profession as a hit-man for the mob. It's a darkly ironic term that downplays the violent nature of his actual work. The film opens with Frank in a retirement home reflecting on his life as a 'house painter,' setting up the confession of his criminal past.

Foreshadowing: The term is introduced early as Frank begins his criminal career, recurring throughout the film as he carries out various hits.

• house painter
• hitman
• euphemism
• frank sheeran
• murder

Frank leaves his wife Mary when he becomes increasingly involved in organized crime. As he rises in the criminal underworld, he begins a relationship with Irene and eventually builds a new life with her, having two more daughters. This abandonment reflects Frank's pattern of prioritizing his criminal life and the mob family over his actual family.

Foreshadowing: Frank's choice to prioritize the mob over his family is established early through his growing distance from Mary and Peggy.

• frank sheeran
• mary
• irene
• wife
• family
• divorce

Frank first meets Russell Bufalino in the 1950s when he encounters the mobster while working as a truck driver in Philadelphia. The meeting happens under the pretense of Russell helping Frank fix his truck, which is actually a setup to recruit Frank into the criminal organization. This encounter sets Frank on the path to becoming a mob hit-man.

Foreshadowing: The truck incident is deliberately arranged by the mob to identify potential recruits.

• frank sheeran
• russell bufalino
• philadelphia
• truck driver
• meeting

Frank kills Crazy Joe Gallo because the reckless mobster has become a threat to the organization. Gallo is described as impulsive and violent, and his actions are creating problems for the crime family. Frank is tasked with eliminating this threat, demonstrating his role as the mob's primary enforcer and showing the escalating violence in Frank's criminal career.

Foreshadowing: The film builds toward this killing as evidence of how deep Frank has fallen into the violent world of organized crime.

• crazy joe gallo
• murder
• frank sheeran
• mob
• violence